REPORT 


TO  THE 


BOARD  OF  TFM 


OF  THE 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ROCHESTER. 

ON  THE 


flliin  of  Jlnstraftion 

TO  BE  PURSUED  IN  THE 

COLLEGIATE  DEPARTMENT. 


PRESENTED,  SEPTEMBER  16,  1850. 


ISodjcster : 

PUBLISHED  BY  SAGE  &  BROTHER. 


1850. 


JOHN  A.  GRAY, 

PRINTER, 

79  Fulton, cor.  ofGold  St.,  N-  Y. 


At  a  Meeting  of  tlie  Trustees  of  the  University  of  Rochester,  held 
May  13th,  1850,  the  following  were  appointed  a  Committee  to  report 
upon  the  Plan  of  Instruction  to  he  pursued  in  the  Collegiate  Department : 

ROBERT  KELLY,  Esq., 

Rev.  WILLIAM  R.  WILLIAMS,  D.D., 

Hon.  F.  WHITTLESEY, 

Prof.  CHESTER  DEWEY,  M.  D.,  D.  D.,  LL.  D., 

Prof.  THOMAS  J.  CONANT,  D.D., 

Prof.  A.  C.  KENDRICK,  D.  D., 

Prof.  J.  H.  RAYMOND. 


At  a  Meeting  of  the  Board,  held  September  16th,  1850,  the  Report  of 
the  Committee  was  presented,  and,  after  being  considered,  was  approved, 
and  ordered  to  be  printed. 


1 


. 


REPORT. 


The  Committee  appointed  to  report  on  the  plan  of  instruction 
to  be  pursued  in  the  University  of  Rochester,  respectfully  sub¬ 
mit  their  views  upon  the  subject,  and  the  conclusions  at  which 
they  have  arrived,  to  the  consideration  of  the  Board  of  Trus¬ 
tees. 

The  subject  of  College  organization  is  one  which,  at  the 
present  moment,  is  accompanied  with  peculiar  embarrassments. 
There  is  a  feeling  of  disappointment  prevailing,  to  a  certain 
extent,  among  educated  men,  as  to  the  success  of  our  colleges 
generally,  both  with  respect  to  the  numbers  who  attend  them, 
and  the  results  of  the  training  imparted.  Doubts  have  been 
instilled  into  the  popular  mind  as  to  the  wisdom  of  the  estab¬ 
lished  systems  and  their  adaptedness  to  the  wants  of  the  day. 
The  whole  subject  of  education,  in  all  its  stages  and  depart¬ 
ments,  is  undergoing  an  investigation,  such  as  it  has  never 
before  received.  There  is  taking  place  before  our  eyes  the 
most  sublime  experiment  in  popular  education  that  the  world 
has  ever  seen.  It  is  perfectly  natural,  therefore,  that  the  Col¬ 
lege  system  should  be  subjected  to  a  rigid  analysis,  and  that 
in  this  age  of  wonderful  discovery  men  should  be  looking  for 
some  grand  improvements,  that  shall  facilitate  the  acquisition 
of  knowledge,  and  render  it  generally  accessible.  While  this 
state  of  feeling  and  of  expectation  presents  a  favorable  con¬ 
dition  for  a  revision  of  the  whole  plan  on  which  our  higher 


6 


institutions  oflearning  are  conducted,  and  for  the  introduction 
of  any  changes  or  modifications  that  may  be  regarded  as  val¬ 
uable,  it  gives  power  at  the  same  time  to  those  whose  views 
are  revolutionary,  to  overturn  the  very  foundations  of  sound 
education. 

In  this  unsettled  condition  of  men’s  minds,  it  is  to  be  appre¬ 
hended,  also,  that  no  plan  can  be  proposed  that  will  give 
universal  satisfaction.  Irreconcilable  opinions  are  struggling 
with  each  other  for  the  mastery,  or  for  a  union  that  is  impos¬ 
sible.  Demands  are  made  for  some  new  Science  or  Art  of 
Education,  which  shall  diffuse  among  all  classes  of  society 
valuable  knowledge  of  a  high  order,  that  can  never  be  realized. 
The  popular  road  to  knowledge  can  be  made  no  shorter,  no 
smoother,  and  no  easier,  than  the  royal  road ;  no  principle, 
no  skill,  has  power  to  level  the  wray,  to  pierce  the  rugged  hill 
of  science,  and  bridge  its  profound  abysses. 

It  is  with  the  consciousness  of  these  difficulties  accompany¬ 
ing  their  task,  that  the  Committee  have  devoted  their  most 
careful  attention  and  best  judgment  to  the  consideration  of  the 
subject  referred  to  them.  Their  desire  has  been  to  avoid  all 
extremes,  on  the  side  either  of  Progress  or  Conservatism ;  to 
accommodate  the  instruction,  in  the  scheme  to  be  recommend¬ 
ed,  as  far  as  possible,  to  the  present  state  of  knowledge,  the 
condition  of  society,  and  the  wants  of  the  people  ;  and,  at  the 
same  time,  to  retain  all  that  has  been  proven,  in  the  experience 
of  the  past,  to  be  of  primary  importance. 

Those  who  maintain  that  our  colleges  have  signally  failed 
to  accomplish  the  ends  for  which  they  were  established,  ap¬ 
peal  to  certain  facts  in  their  history  in  proof  of  the  position. 
They  assert  that,  notwithstanding  the  large  increase  in  the 
number  of  colleges,  and  the  reduction  of  the  charges  for  tuition, 
there  has  been  no  increase  in  the  demand  for  the  means  of 
education,  thus  liberally  provided,  beyond  the  advance  of 


7 


population,  and  that  it  has  by  no  means  kept  pace  with  the 
rapid  augmentation  of  wealth  in  the  community.  They  show, 
also,  that  colleges  are  not  self-sustaining  institutions,  and  argue, 
from  the  principles  of  political  economy,  that  the  instruction 
furnished  is  not  worth  its  cost.  '  Having,  as  they  believe,  dem¬ 
onstrated  these  propositions  by  indisputable  facts,  they  deduce 
from  them  two  important  corollaries.  First ,  The  instruction, 
whether  regard  be  had  to  the  training,  or  to  the  knowledge 
communicated,  has  not  been  found  of  any  pre-eminent  advan¬ 
tage  in  the  business  of  the  world,  and  cannot  have  the  great 
value  that  is  claimed  for  it.  Second ,  If  the  instruction  provided 
were  better  adapted  to  the  educational  wants  of  our  youth, 
the  management  of  colleges  might  be  made  as  remunerative 
in  financial  results  as  any  other  business. 

The  facts  adduced  are  certainly  entitled  to  grave  consider¬ 
ation,  but  will  not,  in  the  judgment  of  all,  warrant  the  con¬ 
clusions  that  are  derived  from  them.  If  it  be  true  that  the 
conveniences  of  education  have  been  multiplied  and  its  cost 
reduced,  is  it  not  equally  true  that  all  the  avenues  of  life  stand 
more  broadly  open  than  ever  ?  The  glittering  prizes  of  wealth 
have  lost  none  of  their  fascinations,  and  industry  and  energy 
are  as  successful  as  ever  in  obtaining  them.  There  has  been 
no  abatement  in  that  impatience  to  rush  into  business  which 
characterizes  our  people.  It  is  to  be  apprehended  that,  no 
matter  what  improvements  may  be  made  in  our  systems  of 
instruction,  this  spirit  of  world-seeking  enterprise  will  long 
continue  to  be  the  main  obstacle  in  the  way  of  inducing  our 
jmuth  to  persevere  to  the  end  in  the  laborious  work  of  a  com¬ 
plete  education.  Here  is  one  of  the  drawbacks  that  accom¬ 
pany  our  extraordinary  prosperity. 

Some  succeed  in  spite  of  all  impediments.  Some,  who  are 
successful  in  the  world,  make  up  for  the  deficiencies  of  early 
education.  There  is,  too,  an  education  that  is  superior  to 


8 


anything  furnished  in  school  or  college,  and  those  who  receive 
it  may  dispense,  to  some  extent,  with  the  advantages  they 
offer.  Academic  honors  will  not  insure  the  usefulness,  the 
success,  or  the  distinction  of  the  man ;  but  this  higher  educa¬ 
tion  is  sure  to  lead  to  usefulness,  to  success,  and  to  distinc¬ 
tion.  It  consists  in  the  mental  and  moral  discipline  that  is 
acquired  by  self-government,  and  the  knowledge  that  is  gained 
and  applied  in  the  school  of  experience.  Indeed,  the  whole  of 
life  is  one  long  process  of  education  to  those  who  wiL  receive 
and  profit  by  its  lessons. 

The  objection  to  the  College  system,  on  the  ground  that  it 
is  not  a  profitable  branch  of  business,  will  not  be  regarded 
generally  as  a  solid  one.  Education  is  not  a  commodity,  the 
value  of  which  is  to  be  determined  by  the  demand,  and  by 
its  cash  price  in  the  market.  Its  returns  are  distant,  and  are 
dependent  upon  many  contingencies- — as,  upon  the  mainte¬ 
nance  of  a  virtuous  character,  the  preservation  of  health — 
and  above  all,  upon  the  Divine  blessing.  It  may,  both  to  the 
individual  receiving  it  and  to  those  whom  he  shall  benefit, 
prove  to  be  worth  infinitely  more  than  its  cost ;  and  thus  the 
truth  of  the  economical  axiom  may  in  the  end  be  abundantly 
verified.  And  yet  high  education  is  a  very  expensive  article, 
and  if  it  were  disposed  of  at  its  full  cost,  with  a  fair  business 
profit  superadded,  few  purchasers  would  be  found  besides  the 
children  of  wealth.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  this  principle  will 
never  obtain,  as  the  one  on  which  our  institutions  of  learning 
shall  be  conducted.  The  generosity  which  founds,  endows, 
and  so  largely  sustains  these  institutions  now,  is  directed  to  a 
noble  object.  What  patriot  would  desire  to  place  all  the  best 
means  of  education  within  the  reach  only  of  those  who  are 
already  favored  with  fortune’s  gifts?  There  is  something 
exceedingly  beautiful  in  the  thought,  that  the  liberal  provision, 
public  and  private,  of  the  means  of  education,  places  its  ines¬ 
timable  blessings  within  the  reach  of  the  humblest  of  the  peo- 


9 


pie,  even  as  the  highest  honors  of  our  country  are  open  to  all. 
It  furnishes  a  simple  process,  by  which  the  artificial  barriers 
of  wealth  and  pride  may  be  broken  down,  the  various  por¬ 
tions  of  society  commingled,  social  discontents  repressed,  and 
the  sentiment  of  republican  equality  kept  alive.  And  is  it 
not  in  harmony  with  the  impartial  bounty  of  our  heavenly 
Father,  who  bestows  the  gift  of  intellect  without  respect  to 
the  distinctions  of  earth  ? 

There  are  obvious  reasons  why  instruction  in  the  higher 
branches  of  knowledge  cannot  be  furnished  at  a  cheap  rate. 
The  most  important  of  these  is  one  which  is  not  always  fully 
estimated  in  the  consideration  of  this  subject,  and  that  is,  the 
absolute  necessity  of  teaching  students  in  small  classes,  in  any 
effective  plan  of  education.  It  will  be  admitted  by  expe¬ 
rienced  instructors,  that  if  a  class  has  over  thirty  scholars  in 
it,  it  should  be  divided,  in  order  to  prosecute,  vigorously  and 
critically,  the  study  of  mathematics,  of  the  ancient  languages, 
or,  indeed,  of  almost  any  branch  taught  in  a  college.  The 
classes  in  the  Military  Academy  at  West  Point  are  divided 
into  sections  of  twenty  each.  The  fact  that  medical  schools, 
as  conducted  upon  the  loose,  popular  plan,  will,  when  highly 
successful,  yield  large  profits  to  their  managers,  has  no  bear¬ 
ing  upon  the  case.  For  in  them  the  Professor  has  little  to 
do  but  to  deliver  lectures,  receive  the  fees  from  the  large 
numbers  who  attend  them,  and  confer  diplomas  at  the  expi¬ 
ration  of  the  course.  He  does  not  aim  to  educate  each  indi¬ 
vidual  mind.  Strictly  speaking,  he  does  not  teach. 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  sum  together  the  various  items 
which  swell  the  cost  of  maintaining  an  institution  of  a  colle¬ 
giate  character.  The  more  diversified  the  scheme,  the  more 
expensive  will  it  be  found  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  stu¬ 
dents.  The  German  Universities,  which  boast  of  a  large 
circle  of  branches,  are  eminently  expensive  establishments. 
Professors  are  maintained  who  have  sometimes  classes  of 


10 


two  or  three  students,  and  this  in  a  country  where  scholars 
are  numbered  by  tens  of  thousands,  and  the  acquisition  of 
learning  and  its  distinctions  is  the  main  object  of  the  national 
ambition.  Nor  can  instruction  in  branches  of  knowledge,  called 
useful  by  way  of  distinction,  be  made  specially  profitable.  In 
order  to  officer  any  respectable  organization,  a  considerable 
number  of  teachers  must  be  engaged,  for  no  one  individual 
will  be  found  qualified  to  teach  many  of  these  specialities. 
In  some  of  them  the  classes  would  be  small,  and  in  all  of 
them  uncertain.  It  would  be  perfectly  easy  to  show,  from  a 
statement  of  indispensable  expenses,  such  as,  cost  of  buildings, 
conveniences  and  apparatus,  the  means  and  appliances  of 
instruction,  the  foundation  and  increase  of  a  library,  the  cost 
of  care-taking,  the  salaries  of  officers  and  teachers,  &c.,  that 
thorough  education  in  the  sciences  and  their  useful  adapta¬ 
tions,  languages  and  philosophy,  can  never  be  furnished  at  a 
low  cost,  and  that  it  is  entirely  fallacious  to  apply  to  this  sub¬ 
ject  the  laws  which  regulate  the  operations  of  trade. 

While,  however,  too  much  stress  should  not  be  laid  on 
the  stationary  condition  and  embarrassed  financial  position  of 
many  of  our  colleges,  these  circumstances  present  an  addi¬ 
tional  incitement  to  the  friends  of  learning,  to  study  closely 
their  plan  and  management,  and  to  discover  the  means  of 
making  them  more  efficient  and  more  widely  useful.  They 
should  seek  especially  to  extend  the  advantages  of  education 
they  afford,  and  to  induce  large  numbers  to  attend  them.  If 
the  course  of  instruction  constitutes,  peculiarly  or  mainly,  a 
preparation  for  a  limited  department  only  of  the  professions 
and  occupations  of  our  people,  the  range  of  studies  should  be 
enlarged,  so  as  to  furnish  a  more  diversified  preparation.  If 
it  be  possible  to  meet  the  demands  of  the  community,  without 
sacrificing  the  essential  elements  and  characteristics  of  sound 
education,  and  without  injury  to  the  cause  of  learning,  they 


11 


should  be  met  by  all  means.  If  there  has  been  a  tendency  to 
extend  instruction  over  a  wide  surface,  so  that  its  thoroughness 
has  been  impaired,  and  its  adapted  ness  to  train  and  evoke 
the  mental  powers  diminished,  the  tendency  should  be 
arrested  and  counteracted.  If,  with  the  lowering  of  the  price 
of  tuition,  there  has  been  a  lowering  of  the  standard  of  prepara¬ 
tion  at  entrance,  and  of  the  standard  of  scholarship  at  gradua¬ 
tion,  progress  must  be  commenced  and  carried  on  vigorously  in 
the  other  direction.  The  undersigned  are  disposed  to  believe, 
that  in  most  of  our  existing  institutions  there  is  room  for 
amendment  in  some  of  these  particulars ;  and  they  earnestly 
desire  that  the  institution  now  to  be  established  at  Rochester 
may  take  a  high  position  in  the  scale  of  reformation  and 
progress. 

Before  proceeding  to  offer  the  sketch  of  a  plan  of  organiza¬ 
tion,  they  propose  to  consider  briefly  the  character  of  our  col¬ 
lege  system,  the  advantages  claimed  for  it,  and  the  particu¬ 
lars  in  which  it  seems  to  have  failed  to  realize  its  promised 
benefits.  Some  objections  urged  and  plans  proposed  by  those 
who  believe  the  entire  system  to  be  wrong,  and  the  important 
objects  they  desire  to  accomplish,  will  also  be  presented.  A 
rapid  survey  of  the  whole  subject  is  necessary  in  order  to 
estimate  the  value  of  any  improvements  suggested,  and  will 
show  the  reasons  which  have  shaped  the  outline  scheme,  here¬ 
with  submitted,  in  its  various  features. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  present  the  details  of  an  ordinary 
college  curriculum.  There  is  no  precisely  uniform  standard, 
and  the  relative  attention  to  particular  studies  differs  in  differ¬ 
ent  institutions.  It  is  sufficient  to  say,  that  students  are 
admitted  upon  examination  in  certain  prescribed  studies, 
wdiich  boys  of  fair  minds  and  good  advantages  may  be  quali¬ 
fied  to  pass  at  the  age  of,  say,  thirteen  to  seventeen  years. 
The  course,  which  is  substantially  the  same  for  all  students, 
occupies  four  years.  The  Latin  and  Greek  languages  consti- 


12 


tute  the  most  important  item.  Mathematical  science  claims 
the  next  place.  History,  Belles  Lettres,  Moral  and  Intellec¬ 
tual  Philosophy,  Political  Economy,  maybe  grouped  together 
as  another  class  of  studies  embraced  in  the  course.  Natural 
Philosophy,  Chemistry,  and  occasionally  some  other  of  the 
natural  sciences,  as  Geology,  Botany  or  Mineralogy,  usually 
have  a  limited  space  allotted  to  them. 

The  plan  of  our  colleges  is  based  upon  the  English  Univer¬ 
sity  scheme,  from  which  it  differs  chiefly  in  this  respect,  that 
in  the  latter  the  course  of  studies  is  much  more  limited,  being 
adapted  to  a  different  condition  of  society,  and  having  been 
established  at  a  period  when  the  circle  of  knowledge  was 
greatly  circumscribed.  As  a  consequence,  the  main  branches 
there  pursued  are  carried  further  and  taught  more  thoroughly. 
The  distinctive  feature  of  Oxford  University  is,  that  classical 
learning  is  the  one  prominent  study,  and  mathematics  are 
overshadowed.  At  Cambridge,  the  position  of  these  branches 
is  reversed,  and  mathematics  have  the  preeminence.  The 
important  range  of  studies,  which  in  our  colleges  are  embraced 
under  the  professorships  of  History  and  Belles  Lettres,  and  of 
Intellectual  and  Moral  Philosophy,  has  until  recently  been 
almost  entirely  neglected.  An  examination  in  them  was  not 
required  for  college  degrees.  The  same  is  true  with  respect 
to  the  natural  sciences.  Some  of  these  departments  of  knowl¬ 
edge  are  such  as  at  the  present  day  no  educated  man  may 
be  ignorant  of ;  and  the  pressure  of  public  opinion  has  of  late 
demanded  such  a  modification  of  studies  as  will  admit  cer¬ 
tain  of  them  into  the  curriculum. 

The  German  University  Scheme  is  much  higher  and  more 
extended.  The  young  man  passes  through  a  long,  syste¬ 
matic  course  in  the  gymnasium,  varied  in  the  subjects 
of  instruction,  but  especially  thorough  in  the  classics.  When 
he  has  completed  satisfactorily  this  course  of  study,  and 
reached  perhaps  as  high  a  point  as  the  graduates  of  our  col- 


13 


leges,  he  enters  the  University.  Here  he  chooses  the  studies 
he  will  pursue.  He  is  matured  enough  in  years  and  mind, 
to  determine  upon  his  career  in  life,  and  select  the  branches 
which  will  qualify  him  for  it.  He  is  not  taught,  so  to  speak, 
in  the  University.  He  acquires  knowledge  for  himself,  by  the 
aid  of  his  previous  cultivation,  and  from  a  sense  of  its  impor¬ 
tance.  He  attends  lectures,  pursues  an  extensive  course  of 
reading  and  investigation  in  the  range  of  his  intended  pro¬ 
fessional  pursuits,  and  at  the  close  presents  himself  for  a 
degree,  to  obtain  which  he  has  to  undergo  a  rigid  govern¬ 
ment  examination,  such  as  none  but  an  excellent  scholar  can 
pass.  His  success  in  life  is  intimately  connected  with  the 
result ;  without  a  degree  he  can  be  admitted  to  no  profession, 
he  cannot  occupy  the  position  of  an  instructor,  he  can  enter 
upon  no  high  career  in  any  sphere  ;  and  the  consciousness  of 
this  has  operated  as  a  powerfu^  stimulus  upon  him  during 
his  whole  University  career.  He*  comes  out  a  full-grow 
man,  in  years  and  in  culture. 

The  friends  of  sound  education  in  our  country  generally 
are  convinced  of  the  importance  of  a  systematic  scheme  of 
College  instruction,  and  consider  the  routine  of  studies  pursued 
in  our  institutions  to  be  in  the  main  a  good  one.  A  portion 
of  these  constitute  the  ground-work  of  a  good  education  in  the 
seminaries  of  Europe  as  well  as  America,  and  their  value 
as  the  means  of  disciplining,  invigorating,  and  refining  the 
mind,  has  been  established  by  the  experience  of  ages.  The 
same  method  of  laying  the  foundation  by  a  regular  course 
diversified  instruction  is  everywhere  pursued.  It  is  certainly 
an  argument  of  great  weight  in  favor  of  a  course  and  a  method 
of  study,  that  they  receive  the  assent  of  the  great  body  of  the 
educated  men  of  the  world,  who  attribute  to  them  their  own  de¬ 
velopment,  and  are  conscious  of  the  power  they  have  commu¬ 
nicated.  A  decision  resting  upon  such  grounds,  and  sustained 
by  so  many  competent  authorities,  is  not  lightly  to  be  reversed. 


14 


The  plan  which  offers  itself  as  the  direct  antagonist  of  the 
college  system,  may  be  called  the  Voluntary  Plan.  Its  dis¬ 
tinctive  characteristic  is,  to  furnish  a  wide  range  of  instruc¬ 
tion  in  the  Sciences  and  their  diversified  applications,  Lan¬ 
guages,  Literature,  &c.,  and  to  throw  them  open  to  all  seekers 
to  select  for  themselves.  The  demand  for  this  freedom  of 
choice,  in  its  fullest  sense  and  popular  expression,  amounts 
to  this,  that  the  pupil  shall  learn  anything  he  chooses,  as  much 
of  anything  as  he  chooses,  and  when  he  chooses.  The  object 
aimed  at  is  that  he  shall  be  constrained  to  acquire  no  knowl¬ 
edge  but  such  as  is  directly  required,  or  as  he  deems  requisite, 
for  his  particular  career  in  life,  and  that  he  shall  find  this 
knowledge  within  its  reach,  whatever  its  character  may  be, 
at  any  stage  of  his  development. 

If  it  be  easy  to  discover  objections  to  the  College  system, 
those  which  suggest  themselves  with  respect  to  the  Voluntary 
Scheme,  as  thus  broadly  stated,  are  perfectly  overwhelming. 
The  position  of  President  of  an  institution  conducted  upon  this 
plan  would  be  no  sinecure,  if  it  were  expected  that  he  should 
keep  in  order  so  complicated  a  machine,  and  exercise  a  super¬ 
vision  over  the  progress  of  each  individual.  There  are  diffi¬ 
culties,  also,  in  regard  to  discipline,  and  the  arrangement  of 
classes  and  studies,  that  seem  to  be  almost  insurmountable. 
But  if  the  scheme  were  a  manageable  one,  it  is  not  suited  to  the 
age,  character,  and  educational  stand-point  of  those  for  whose 
benefit  it  would  be  established.  The  scholar  has  not  intelli¬ 
gence  enough  to  make  a  judicious  choice,  even  if,  at  his 
immature  age,  his  career  has  been  determined  on  ;  and  his 
parents  and  guardians  ordinarily  can  render  him  little  assist¬ 
ance.  Both  he  and  they  are  likely  to  form  a  false  estimate 
of  the  quality  of  his  mind,  and  a  wrong  judgment  as  to  the 
discipline  which  it  needs.  He  cannot  perceive  the  connec¬ 
tion  between  his  present  studies  and  his  future  life,  and  has 


15 


no  conception  of  their  intrinsic  or  relative  value.  If  he  have 
not  yet  determined  upon  his  career,  the  case  is  still  worse. 
He  will  prefer  the  branches  which  he  acquires  most  easily, 
and  neglect,  because  of  their  difficulty,  those  which  are  more 
necessary  for  him,  and  especially  necessary  for  the  develop¬ 
ment  of  his  mind  in  those  faculties  in  which  it  is  naturally 
weakest.  Then  again,  certain  branches  seem  to  be  indis¬ 
pensable  in  any  education  worthy  of  the  name,  which  might 
and  would, doubtless,  in  many  c  ases  be  neglected.  The  volun¬ 
tary  principle  is  an  admirable  one  in  all  cases  where  it  is  to 
be  exercised  by  men,  worthy  of  the  rights  and  privileges  of 
freedom,  but  it  is  a  dangerous  instrument  for  boys  to  handle, 
either  as  to  their  behavior  or  their  education.  A  systematic 
course  of  instruction  is  a  constraint  upon  the  freedom  of  the 
youth,  and  so  are  the  laws  of  discipline,  but  both  are  neces¬ 
sary  for  his  guidance. 

The  experiment  of  partial  courses  has  been  often  tested  in 
our  colleges,  and  there  are  cases  where  they  may  be  highly 
advantageous.  It  is  proper  that  arrangements  should  be  made 
for  such  cases,  but  if  this  be  the  controlling  feature  of  the  plan, 
the  results  would,  in  all  probability,  be  mischievous.  The 
partial  courses  are,  in  many  instances,  selected  by  students 
from  the  want  of  adequate  preparation  to  pursue  all  the 
studies  of  the  curriculum,  and,  as  a  general  rule,  such  stu¬ 
dents  are  inferior,  even  in  the  department  selected,  to  those 
who  pursue  a  full  college  course.  There  is,  undoubtedly,  a 
reason  for  this  general  inferiority  of  partial  course  students, 
and  that  reason  furnishes  us  with  the  most  serious  objection 
that  can  be  brought  against  the  Voluntary  Plan. 

The  youthful  mind  requires  varied  culture  in  order  to  in¬ 
sure  its  even  and  healthy  growth,  and  its  soundness  in  riper 
years.  The  power  gained  by  one  study  prepares  it  to  pursue 
one  of  a  different  character  more  successfully,  and  it  is  con¬ 
stantly  refreshed  and  invigorated  by  the  variety  of  the  pro- 


16 


cesses  by  which  it  is  exercised.  Certain  studies  are  specially 
fitted  to  train  particular  faculties  of  the  understanding,  and  the 
grand  object  in  view  is  to  educate,  to  bring  out ,  all  the  facul¬ 
ties.  A  certain  diversity  of  studies — and  that  too  a  somewhat 
limited  diversity  at  one  time,  in  order  to  secure  interest,  vigor, 
and  thoroughness — is  of  the  utmost  importance.  A  one-sided 
culture,  destroying  the  balance  of  the  powers,  is  one  of  the 
most  pernicious  modes  of  developing  the  youthful  understand¬ 
ing,  and  its  effects  will  never  be  obliterated  in  after  life.  The 
effect  of  a  one-sided  culture  upon  the  general  soundness  of 
the  understanding  is  shown  in  numerous  instances,  occurring 
within  every  one’s  experience.  It  is  precisely  these  half- 
educated  men — and  usually  such  as  have  acquired  consider¬ 
able  power  by  self-culture,  but  have  not  received  the  develop¬ 
ment  of  a  liberal  education — who  are  the  most  dangerous  men 
in  the  community,  the  broachers  of  unsound  opinions,  and  the 
reckless  advocates  of  the  most  radical  innovations. 

The  advantages  of  the  class-influence  would  of  course  be 
lost,  for  there  can  be  no  permanent  class  in  the  miscellaneous 
admixtures  and  shifting  combinations  of  a  wide,  Voluntary 
system.  There  are  differences  of  opinion  as  to  the  value  of 
this  influence,  but  most  educators  are  convinced  of  its  neces¬ 
sity.  We  all  need  through  life  strong  stimulants  to  exertion, 
and  of  these  the  spirit  of  competition  is  one  of  the  most  con¬ 
stant  and  efficacious.  The  effect  of  good  examples  is  exceed¬ 
ingly  valuable  to  the  great  bulk  of  the  class,  and  the  drill  of 
the  platoon  keeps  them  steadier  on  the  march.  The  youth 
is  continually  receiving  rebukes  to  his  self-esteem,  and  yet 
acquires  a  sense  of  his  real  power  by  comparing  himself  with 
his  fellows.  There  is  something,  too,  in  the  sympathy  of  the 
class,  and  in  the  companionship  of  young  men  engaged  in  the 
same  tasks,  and  agitated  by  the  same  daily  cares,  that  is  of 
importance  in  the  work  of  education.  The  class  feeling  is 
broken  and  destroyed  entirely  by  an  arrangement  that  allows 


17 


every  one  to  select  any  branch  that  he  may  choose  to  pursue, 
at  any  period  of  his  college  life.  In  the  judgment  of  most 
men,  the  advantages  enumerated  would  be  by  no  means 
counterbalanced  by  the  privilege  that  would  be  afforded  in 
the  Voluntary  arrangement,  for  each  young  man  to  advance 
himself,  slowly  or  rapidly,  in  each  several  department, 
according  to  his  ability. 

The  objections,  thus  succinctly  stated,  are  directed  against 
the  plan  of  Voluntary  studies,  regarded  as  a  really  free  scheme, 
but  are  not  intended  to  apply  to  the  principle  of  election  within 
safely-guarded  limits.  Nor  are  they  applicable  to  any  scheme 
which  admits,  to  a  certain  extent,  the  idea  of  election,  but 
virtually  overrules  it,  and  vests  the  whole  control  of  the  stu¬ 
dies  of  each  pupil  in  the  hands  of  the  Faculty. 

It  is  important  to  consider  the  specific  objections  that  are 
alleged  against  the  plan  of  studies  and  the  general  arrange¬ 
ment  and  management  of  our  Colleges,  in  order  to  ascertain 
in  respect  to  each,  whether  it  is  justly  founded,  and,  further¬ 
more,  whether  it  is  remediable. 

Of  these  the  chief,  both  as  to  its  weight  and  the  extent  to 
which  it  is  entertained,  lying  at  the  foundation  of  almost  all 
the  rest,  is  this,  that  the  system  of  instruction,  being  designed 
specially  as  a  preparation  for  the  learned  professions,  is  not 
well  adapted  to  train  young  men  for  other  occupations — for 
the  business,  the  trades,  the  arts,  and  all  the  active  pursuits 
of  industrial  life — inasmuch  as  it  compels  them  to  pursue 
branches  useless  to  them  in  these  occupations,  and  omits,  to 
a  great  extent,  such  knowledge  as  would  be  useful.  The 
dead  languages  occupy  a  vast  share  of  the  time,  but  the  lan¬ 
guages  of  commerce  are  omitted.  Even  the  sciences  which 
are  introduced  are  taught  theoretically  only,  and  there  is  no 
application  of  their  principles  to  the  useful  arts.  This  is 
alleged  to  be  the  general  characteristic  of  the  whole  scheme 
2 


18 


of  studies.  The  education,  to  use  a  comprehensive  phrase, 
is  in  no  sense  practical. 

There  are  several  important  observations  to  be  made  with 
respect  to  this  point.  What  is  practical  education  ?  A  vague 
general  answer  to  this  question,  as,  for  example,  that  it  means 
education  in  such  branches  of  knowledge  as  will  be  useful 
in  practical  life,  will  be  of  no  service  to  us  here.  It  is  exceed¬ 
ingly  desirable  to  have  a  specific,  accurate,  and  tangible 
definition  of  the  meaning  of  a  practical  education,  in  what  it 
consists,  and  how  it  is  to  be  communicated.  Those  who 
declaim  most  freely  on  this  subject  would  find  it  a  difficult 
task  to  lay  down  a  working  scheme  that  will  satisfy  either 
themselves  or  others.  Without  a  basis  of  general  culture, 
and  especially  without  a  thorough  ground-work  in  the  theory 
of  each  particular  science,  such  a  scheme  would  be  exploded 
at  once  by  sound  educationists.  And  then,  the  narrowness 
of  any  scheme  that  could  be  sketched  to  meet  the  world- wide 
aim  of  furnishing  a  special  preparation  for  each  one  of  the 
diversified  pursuits  of  human  industry,  would  expose  it  to 
censure  from  all  quarters.  The  vast  body  of  the  people  would 
still  find  their  trades,  or  branches  of  manufacture,  or  callings, 
unrepresented  in  the  plan. 

There  is  a  great  deal  of  looseness  in  the  popular  conception 
of  a  practical  education,  and  much  misapprehension  as  to  its 
real  character.  The  acquisition  of  knowledge  in  any  partic¬ 
ular  science,  so  as  to  make  it  of  real  service  in  the  arts  or 
business  of  life,  is  not  the  simple  and  easily  accessible  thing 
which  some  imagine.  Such  practical  knowledge  is  the  very 
highest  kind  of  knowledge,  and  by  far  the  most  difficult 
of  attainment.  It  can  only  be  acquired  after  a  thorough 
mastery  of  the  principles  of  the  science.  For  the  mere  acqui¬ 
sition  of  a  few  empirical  rules  from  a  text-book  or  lecture  is 
not  deserving  of  mention  in  this  connection.  Such  knowledge 


19 


might  as  well — perhaps,  indeed,  with  great  advantage  to  all 
concerned — be  left  in  the  books  themselves,  to  be  used,  like 
other  recipes,  as  occasion  may  require.  The  union  of  science 
to  labor,  much  as  we  may  desire  to  see  it  consummated  for 
the  benefit  of  mankind,  is  not  so  easily  formed  as  some  per¬ 
sons  assume.  Science,  as  the  bride  of  Labor,  must  be  wooed 
and  won,  like  another  Rachel,  after  a  long  and  arduous  court¬ 
ship.  And  the  men  who  can  apply  science  to  the  uses  of 
practical  life,  and  make  discoveries  that  shall  benefit  society, 
are  the  great  philosophers,  the  Bowditches  and  the  Liebigs 
of  the  age. 

There  is  apt  to  be  entertained  a  very  false  conception 
of  the  amount  of  the  knowledge  that  is  attainable  in  the 
period  of  an  ordinary  College  course.  The  amount  of  in¬ 
formation  gained,  under  the  most  favorable  circumstances, 
is  comparatively  a  small  matter.  It  is  with  the  best  student 
a  mere  preparation,  giving  him  the  power  to  acquire,  and  lay¬ 
ing  the  basis  of  future  acquisitions.  The  knowledge  which 
one  eminent  in  his  profession,  or  distinguished  for  intelli¬ 
gence,  acquires,  is  chiefly  gathered  in  the  very  midst  of  the 
labors  of  life.  The  end  of  a  College  education  is  not  to  sup¬ 
ply  the  memory  with  large  stores  of  knowledge,  theoretical 
or  practical.  Its  chief  object  is  to  educate  the  powers  of  the 
mind,  to  expand,  to  strengthen,  and  to  refine  it,  to  train  it  to 
habits  of  thought  and  industry,  and  to  fit  it  for  its  own  work 
in  future  life.  And  any  scheme  of  education  which  loses 
sight  of  the  latter  object,  and  unduly  magnifies  the  former,  is 
essentially  vicious  and  false. 

It  can  scarcely  be  true  that  the  same  unvarying  course  of 
studies  furnishes  the  best  training  for  all  youth,  and  the  best 
preparation  for  all  occupations.  The  most  conservative 
advocates  of  the  ordinary  curriculum  would  scarcely  main¬ 
tain  this  precise  proposition,  although  they  might  argue  that, 
on  the  whole,  it  is  best  to  retain  it  in  its  undeviating  unifor- 


20 


mity.  The  impression,  so  generally  prevalent,  that  the  col¬ 
lege  courses,  both  in  this  country  and  in  England,  have  been 
framed  more  particularly  to  prepare  young  men  for  the 
learned  professions,  is  undoubtedly  founded  in  truth.  That 
the  plan  of  instruction  is  well  adapted  to  prepare  for  these 
professions,  is  an  evidence  of  its  general  soundness  and  ex¬ 
cellence,  for  these  are  intellectual  occupations,  and  demand 
well-trained  minds  for  success  in  them.  But  it  is  a  very 
narrow  view  to  suppose  that  no  other  arrangement  will 
furnish  a  good  education.  All  knowledge  has  a  tendency  to 
improve  the  mind,  if  acquired  in  the  right  way.  Symmetri¬ 
cal  culture  can  be  obtained  by  various  combinations.  And 
while  it  is  true  that  the  excellence  of  any  scheme  must  be 
tested  by  its  fitness  to  train  the  understanding,  and  the 
acquisition  of  knowledge  is  of  secondary  consequence,  it  by 
no  means  follows  that  the  latter  is  of  no  importance.  It  may 
be  of  high  value,  limited  though  it  will  necessarily  be  in  its 
extent.  It  is  to  serve  as  a  groundwork,  at  least,  for  the  use¬ 
ful  attainments  that  are  to  complete  hereafter  the  structure  of 
a  fully  developed  education.  The  simple  plan  in  educating 
a  youth  would  seem  to  be,  to  select  for  him,  if  it  be  practica¬ 
ble,  such  departments  of  knowledge  as  may  be  of  most  value 
for  him,  within  the  first  great  condition  laid  down — that  the 
mind  shall  receive  a  regular,  even,  general  culture. 

It  cannot  be  denied  that  many  important  sciences  and 
departments  of  knowledge  are  neglected  entirely,  or  taught 
so  slightly  that  they  do  not  serve  for  any  practical  use.  The 
present  age  has  witnessed  some  of  the  most  wonderful  adap¬ 
tations  of  the  powers  of  nature  to  the  services  of  man,  and 
has  made  the  whole  realm  of  science  tributary  to  his  wants — 
it  has  explored  all  the  ancient  domains  of  knowledge,  and 
discovered  new  kingdoms — it  has  investigated  nearly  every 
department  of  human  thought,  and  extended  its  researches 
over  the  whole  history  of  the  race  ;  but  where,  to  speak  in 


21 


general  terms,  are  all  these  discoveries  in  the  stereotyped 
curriculum  ?  Is  it  not  right,  and  is  it  not  practicable,  that 
the  means  of  instruction  in  some,  at  least,  of  these  most  val¬ 
uable  branches  of  knowledge  should  be  provided  in  our  col¬ 
lege  courses  ?  It  may  not  be  possible,  in  connection  with  a 
general  education,  to  compass  very  high  attainments  in  the 
practical  applications  of  particular  sciences,  for  nearly  each 
one  of  these  demands  the  labor  of  years;  yet  the  scientific 
principles  and  elements,  on  which  some  of  the  more  necessary 
useful  arts  rest,  can  be  acquired,  to  valuable  purpose.  The 
instruction  given  may,  and  it  should  be,  accurate  and  thor¬ 
ough,  as  far  as  it  goes,  in  order  to  guard  against  the  dangers 
of  superficial  knowledge,  which  will  be  especially  serious, 
when  the  knowledge  is  to  be  applied  in  practice.  Education 
of  this  kind  cannot  fail  to  be  of  great  value  to  the  student,  and 
exceedingly  useful  to  society.  Those  who  have  this  concep¬ 
tion  of  a  practical  education,  demand  what  is  altogether  rea¬ 
sonable.  It  is  necessary  that  this  demand  should  be  supplied  ; 
and  if  our  Colleges  cannot  be  framed  so  as  to  meet  the  want, 
other  institutions  must  be  organized  which  shall  furnish  the 
instruction  desired. 

But  there  is  an  objection  against  the  established  system  of 
an  opposite  character.  There  has  been  a  tendency  to  intro¬ 
duce  too  many  branches,  and  the  pressure  has  been  constant 
for  the  admission  of  new  departments.  Each  new  science, 
as  it  rises  from  the  abysses  where  it  has  lain  hidden,  radiant 
with  the  beauty,  and  clothed  with  the  dignity  of  truth,  comes 
forward  to  demand  a  place  among  her  elder  sisters,  and 
insists  upon  being  taken  into  the  family  group.  It  is  thus 
true,  at  the  same  time,  that  too  many  studies  have  been  made 
a  part  of  the  course,  and  that  many  of  the  most  useful  sub¬ 
jects  are  omitted.  The  inevitable  consequence  of  the  intro¬ 
duction  of  a  large  number  of  studies  in  the  curriculum  has 
been,  that  some  are  passed  over  in  a  hasty,  superficial  man- 


22 


ner,  instead  of  being  studied  accurately.  The  student, 
instead  of  garnering  the  fruits  of  the  field  on  which  he  enters, 
makes  no  more  impression  upon  the  waving  harvest  than  did 
the  swift  Camilla,  whose  feet  scarcely  broke  the  bending  ears 
of  corn,  as  she  skimmed  over  them  in  her  rapid  flight.  A 
superficial  idea  of  the  subject  is  caught  up  by  the  way,  but 
no  really  valuable  knowledge  or  discipline  is  gained.  Some 
of  the  most  difficult  and  important  subjects  are  passed  over 
in  the  mere  memoriter  studying  of  a  text-book,  which 
demand,  and  should  receive,  the  most  rigorous  exercise  of  the 
understanding.  It  is  certainly  better  that  a  notion  of  some 
of  these  subjects  should  be  gathered  by  general  reading,  and 
that  those  which  are  studied  should  be  prosecuted  in  a 
scholar-like  way.  The  remedy  for  this  evil  is  simply  to 
reduce  the  number  of  studies  which  each  student  shall  be 
allowed  to  pursue. 

It  is  urged  as  an  evidence  of  some  essential  defect  in  the 
College  system,  that  even  in  the  prominent  studies,  which 
engross  a  monopolizing,  share  of  attention,  there  are  few 
scholars  who  make  any  respectable  progress.  But  a  small 
proportion  of  a  class  on  graduating  from  College  are  compe¬ 
tent  to  translate  with  facility  Latin  and  Greek  authors,  and  a 
still  smaller  number  are  good  mathematicians. 

There  is  without  doubt  good  cause  for  this  objection,  but 
it  does  not  justify  the  inference  that  the  system  itself  is  radi¬ 
cally  defective.  It  is  to  be  remembered  that  the  period 
allowed  to  education  with  us  is  very  limited.  We  commence 
at  an  earlier  age,  and  finish  much  earlier,  than  they  do  in 
European  countries.  The  German  student  has  devoted  a 
great  deal  more  time  to  the  study  of  the  ancient  languages 
than  our  College  graduates,  before  he  enters  the  University. 
And  the  good  classical  scholars  from  Oxford  have  enjoyed  a 
long  course  of  training  in  reading  and  writing  Latin,  and  in 
the  critical  study  of  the  Greek  language  in  all  its  minutiae, 


23 


first  in  such  schools  as  Eton  or  Westminster,  and  then  in  the 
University,  incomparably  superior  in  extent  to  anything 
found  in  the  United  States.  The  time  devoted  to  what  is 
considered  a  good  education  with  us  is  entirely  too  limited  to 
produce  any  high  degree  of  scholarship.  We  deceive  our¬ 
selves  if  we  suppose  that  by  any  improvement  in  our  systems 
we  shall  raise  to  a  very  elevated  point  the  standard  of  attain¬ 
ments  in  any  particular  department  of  science  or  literature, 
unless  there  be  evinced  a  disposition  on  the  part  of  our  young 
men  to  devote  to  their  education  a  longer  space  of  time  than 
they  are  now  walling  to  spare.  When  that  period  arrives, 
we  shall  be  led  to  found  great  Universities,  each  one  of  which 
shall  be  the  centre  and  crown  of  a  system  of  colleges,  exert¬ 
ing  a  useful  control  over  them  and  completing  the  education 
there  commenced.  Until  that  desirable  consummation,  all 
that  can  be  done  is,  to  administer  our  Colleges  wisely,  and 
provide  in  them,  as  far  as  possible,  the  opportunity  of  more 
advanced  instruction  in  some  important  branches,  where  it  is 
now  too  limited  to  answer  the  ends  in  view. 

But  we  do  not  do  justice  to  the  system.  The  acquisitions 
of  students  at  their  admission  are  in  many  cases  inadequate 
for  the  advantageous  prosecution  of  the  studies  embraced  in 
the  College  course.  It  is  not  that  the  nominal  requirements 
are  too  low.  Strictly  interpreted,  they  demand  a  very 
respectable  amount  of  acquisitions.  The  difficulty  is,  that  in 
the  competition  between  the  numerous  Colleges  to  admit  large 
numbers,  the  rules  prescribing  the  requisitions  for  entrance 
are  not  enforced  in  their  true  meaning.  The  practice  of  one 
College  in  keeping  down  the  standard  operates  unfavorably 
on  many  others ;  and  the  more  influential  be  its  position  in 
age  and  importance,  the  greater  will  be  the  injury  it  will 
occasion  to  the  whole  cause  of  education.  It  is  here  that 
reform  must  begin,  if  we  intend  to  bring  out  good  classical 
scholars  from  our  Colleges,  able  mathematicians,  elegant 


24 


belles-lettres  scholars,  skilled  dialecticians  and  philosophers, 
or  proficients  in  any  of  the  sciences.  We  must  exact  at 
entrance  an  accuracy  of  preparation,  that  shall  re-act  upon 
the  academy,  and  beyond  that,  upon  the  district  school. 
Thorough  is  the  word  which  we  need  to  have  written  upon 
all  our  seminaries  and  modes  of  teaching — upon  the  mind  of 
every  teacher,  and  on  the  daily  task  of  every  scholar. 

The  age  of  the  students  is,  in  many  cases,  too  immature.  A 
strict  requisition  of  the  qualifications  demanded  for  admission 
would  tend  to  remedy  this  difficulty.  In  judging  of  the 
results  of  a  system,  the  age  of  those  who  pursue  it  is  an 
important  consideration,  and  should  be  carefully  regarded  in 
putting  a  youth  upon  a  course  of  severe  study.  Below  a 
certain  limit,  difficult  to  fix,  inasmuch  as  it  is  not  the  same  in 
all  individuals,  the  too  early  prosecution  of  the  higher  mathe¬ 
matics  and  other  studies  demanding  the  strenuous  exertion  of 
the  reasoning  powers  may  operate  injuriously  on  the  mind, 
even  though  a  good  memory  and  quickness  of  apprehension 
may  carry  the  student  successfully  through  his  course.  The 
precocious  development  is  followed  by  a  stunted  growth,  and 
the  advantages  of  the  education  received  are  in  a  considera¬ 
ble  degree  lost. 

And  it  is  not  because  a  fair  and  proper  amount  of  studies 
in  the  prominent  branches  is  not  required  in  the  course,  that 
so  few  students  make  respectable  proficiency,  but  because 
they  do  not  learn  accurately  the  studies  prescribed.  The  true 
way  to  graduate  good  scholars  is  to  conduct  the  system  so 
rigidly  that  none  others  shall  receive  a  degree.  The  same 
plan  must  be  adhered  to  throughout.  Strict  examinations 
should  be  held  at  the  end  of  each  session,  and  at  proper 
intervals  those  who  cannot  pass  a  good  examination  should 
be  turned  back,  to  go  over  the  same  studies  again.  The 
principle  why  such  strictness  should  be  observed  is  perfectly 
simple  and  reasonable.  The  student  is  not  qualified  to  be 


25 


advanced,  unless  he  pass  the  examination.  There  is  a  regu¬ 
lar  gradation  in  each  department  of  knowledge,  and  the 
youth  must  regularly  and  fairly  surmount  each  step  as  he 
reaches  it,  and  thus  gain  a  firm  footing  for  advancing  on¬ 
wards.  To  take  for  an  example  the  mathematical  course ; — 
if  the  scholar  have  neglected  his  studies  in  Algebra  and 
Geometry,  what  pleasure  does  he  find  in  the  beauties  of  the 
Differential  Calculus  ?  The  subsequent  years  in  this  depart¬ 
ment  are  a  perfect  blank.  Indeed  he  gives  up  the  whole 
subject  in  despair,  and  looks  upon  the  very  characters  of  the 
science  as  so  many  inexplicable  hieroglyphics.  With  respect 
to  the  ancient  languages,  and  in  most  of  the  other  depart¬ 
ments  of  study,  there  is  a  similar  dependence  and  connection 
between  the  lower  and  the  higher  stages  of  the  course. 

Here  is  one  of  the  most  patent  evils  in  the  management  of 
our  Colleges,  impairing  the  value  of  the  education  imparted, 
and  depreciating  its  estimation  in  the  eyes  of  the  community. 
If  our  graduates  all  measured  up  to  the  standard,  their  influ¬ 
ence  upon  society  would  be  more  felt.  The  superior  schol¬ 
arship  of  the  graduates  of  the  Military  Academy  at  West 
Point,  in  the  branches  there  pursued,  is  well  known,  and  the 
fact  that  so  many  of  our  able  Civil  Engineers  have  received 
their  training  in  that  admirable  school,  is  often  pointed  out  as 
evidence  of  the  advantage  of  devoting  particular  attention  to 
a  few  practical  branches  in  preparing  young  men  for  prac¬ 
tical  life.  It  certainly  presents  a  strong  case  in  answer  to 
those  who  should  maintain  that  there  can  be  no  high  educa¬ 
tion  without  a  knowledge  of  Latin  and  Greek.  For  here  is 
an  education,  confessedly  excellent,  without  any  acquaint¬ 
ance  with  either  of  these  languages.  At  the  same  time  the 
example  of  the  West  Point  Academy  does  not  afford  the 
slightest  support  to  the  superficial  opinion  that  practical 
instruction  consists  in  the  teaching  of  practical  rules,  because 
the  education  there  given  is  extraordinarily  thorough  in  its 


26 


scientific  basis,  and  the  practice  taught  is  only  a  partial, 
narrow,  and  peculiar  application  of  theoretical  principles  of 
widely  extended  adaptations.  But  the  results  are  to  be 
attributed  mainly  to  the  peculiar  character  of  that  institution, 
the  exclusion  of  unworthy  scholars,  the  impartial  rigor  of  its 
rules,  the  number  and  talent  of  the  instructors,  and  the  meth¬ 
ods  of  teaching.  The  graduates  of  West  Point  are  picked 
men.  They  have  passed  through  ordeal  after  ordeal,  and 
have  come  out,  like  gold  from  the  fire,  seven  times  purified. 
There  is  the  same  inflexible  demand  for  the  utmost  industry 
and  the  full  exercise  of  the  best  minds  throughout  the  entire 
ourse.  If  our  Colleges  had  it  in  their  power  to  manage  the 
courses  of  instruction  laid  down  in  their  programmes  with 
the  same  strictness,  results  equally  valuable  in  preparing 
young  men  for  the  varied  business  of  life  would  be  produced. 

To  remedy  this  evil  is  one  of  the  most  difficult  problems 
submitted  at  this  time  to  the  friends  of  sound  education. 
Public  opinion  is  not  prepared  for  the  extreme  measures 
which  a  complete  remedy  would  require.  It  is  inexpedient 
and  impracticable  to  model  an  institution  depending  upon  public 
favor  for  its  maintenance  and  patronage,  after  the  example  of 
a  National  Military  Academy.  But  the  important  interests  at 
stake  demand  that  the  remedy  should  be  applied,  as  far  as  it 
-can  be  done  with  safety.  So  long  as  parents  shall  consent, 
and  pupils  continue  to  resort  to  institutions  that  are  lax  in  the 
terms  of  admission,  that  are  easy  in  the  requirements  of  study, 
and  that  dispense  degrees  with  liberality,  there  will  be  great 
obstacles  to  be  overcome  before  the  reform  can  be  carried  out. 
The  support  of  strictly  conducted  institutions,  until  public 
opinion  shall  be  informed  and  corrected,  will  involve  heavy 
drafts  upon  the  liberality  of  their  friends.  It  is  to  be  supposed 
that  the  superior  value  of  the  education  dispensed  in  them, 
would  gradually  be  acknowledged.  The  strictness  with  which 
they  are  conducted  will  then  be  the  means  of  their  further 


27 

improvement,  by  attracting  and  securing  the  very  best  class 
of  scholars. 

There  are  not  wanting  advocates,  however,  for  the  method, 
usually  pursued,  of  passing  on  inferior  scholars.  The  practice 
in  the  English  Universities  is  the  same  as  with  us.  The  hon¬ 
ors  serve  as  a  stimulus  for  the  few,  but  the  pol  degree — the 
degree  for  the  many — is  conferred  upon  an  examination  in  a 
very  meagre  list  of  studies.  The  system  is  adapted  to  pro¬ 
duce  some  first-rate  scholars,  and  at  the  same  time  is  accom¬ 
modated  to  suit  the  wishes  of  the  sons  of  indulgence.  The 
arguments  of  the  champions  of  the  lax  method  partake  largely 
of  sympathy  for  the  weaklings  of  the  flock.  They  maintain 
that  such  scholars,  by  associating  in  the  class  with  those  more 
gifted  and  studious,  have  their  minds  expanded  and  receive 
substantial  and  lasting  benefit,  although  they  do  not  learn 
thoroughly  the  subjects  over  which  they  pass.  Their  error 
lies  in  losing  sight  of  this  incontestable  and  universal  princi¬ 
ple,  that  the  labor  of  boys  will  be  regulated  by  the  standard 
adopted.  If  that  be  high,  provided  of  course  that  it  be  within 
the  range  of  fair  capabilities,  and  do  not  overtask  mind  and 
body  with  undue  exactions,  the  majority  of  students  will  work 
up  to  it.  If  the  standard  be  low,  the  majority  will  bestow  no 
more  exertion  than  is  necessary  to  meet  its  requirements.  Our 
Colleges  should  shape  their  rules,  requisitions,  and  whole 
management,  to  suit  the  studious  and  the  good,  to  accustom 
the  mind  to  severe  exercise,  and  to  implant  the  habit  of  appli¬ 
cation — one  of  the  most  necessary  of  all  the  lessons  of  life. 

The  brief  view  we  have  taken  of  our  College  system,  in  its 
character  and  administration,  of  its  merits  and  defects,  its 
advantages  and  its  drawbacks,  seems  to  have  led  us  to  the 
following  conclusions : 

1.  The  system  is,  on  the  whole,  admirably  adapted  as  a  means 
of  intellectual  training,  and  in  its  main  characteristics  should  not  be 


28 


abandoned.  The  feature  of  systematic  courses  of  instruction  espe¬ 
cially  should  be  maintained,  in  order  to  secure  even  development 
and  a  fair  amount  of  general  culture. 

2.  The  range  of  studies  is  too  restricted  to  meet  the  educational 
wants  of  the  people.  The  means  of  instruction  in  many  useful  and 
important  branches  are  not  provided. 

3.  Too  many  studies  are  crowded  into  the  one  compulsory  course 
to  allow  that  all  shall  be  taught  properly.  Some  are  not  pursued  so 
far  as  is  needed  or  desired. 

4.  The  system  is  not  managed  ordinarily  with  proper  vigor. 
Students  are  received  in  an  imperfect  state  of  preparation,  and  are 
admitted  too  young.  A  sufficiently  strict  method  is  not  pursued 
with  respect  to  their  advancement  during  the  course,  and  at  the  close 
they  receive  a  degree,  which,  in  many  cases,  is  not  a  badge  of  re¬ 
spectable  scholarship. 

The  following  outline  of  a  plan  of  studies,  arranged  in  view 
of  the  above  conclusions,  is  respectfully  submitted : 

1.  The  regular  course  for  each  student  shall  occupy  four  years, 
at  the  end  of  which  time  those  who  shall  pass  a  good  examination 
in  the  prescribed  studies  shall  be  admitted  to  a  degree ;  those  who 
have  pursued  classical  studies  through  the  course,  to  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Arts,  and  those  who  have  not,  to  the  degree  of  Bachelor 
of  Sciences. 

2.  The  following  departments  of  study  shall  be  pui-sued  during 
the  Freshman  and  Sophomore  years — a  daily  recitation  in  each  de¬ 
partment  to  be  allowed  throughout  the  two  years : 

1.  Department  of  History  and  Belles  Lettres.  Modern  His¬ 
tory — Rhetoric — History  of  English  Literature — Composition 
and  Declamation. 

2.  Department  of  Mathematics  and  Natural  Philosophy. 
Algebra — Geometry — Plane  and  Spherical  Trigonometry — Ele¬ 
ments  of  Natural  Philosophy. 

3.  Department  of  Languages. 

1.  Elective  branch.  Latin  and  Greek  Languages. 

2.  “  “  French  and  German  Languages. 

All  regular  course  students  shall  pursue  the  studies  of  the 
first  two  departments,  except  that  during  half  the  Freshman  year 


29 


the  classical  students  shall  pursue  the  study  of  Latin  and  Greek, 
in  place  of  Modern  History.  In  regard  to  the  third,  they  will 
be  allowed  to  choose  either  the  Latin  and  Greek  course  or  the 
French  and  German  course. 

3.  The  studies  of  the  Junior  and  Senior  years  shall  be  grouped 
mainly  under  the  four  next  following  departments — one  hour  daily 
recitation  throughout  the  two  years  to  constitute  the  course  in  each : 

1.  Department  of  Belles  Lettres  and  of  Moral  and  Intellect¬ 
ual  Philosophy.  Logic — Mental,  Moral,  and  Political  Science — 
Evidences  of  Natural  and  Revealed  Religion — Principles  of 
Law — Composition  and  Declamation. 

2.  Department  of  Mathematics  and  Mechanics.  Higher 
Pure  Mathematics — Adaptations  of  Mathematical  Science  to  tho 
Arts — Engineering  and  Construction — Mechanical  Philosophy. 

3.  Department  of  Natural  Sciences.  Chemistry,  including 
Chemical  Technology,  and  especially  Agricultural  Chemistry — 
Botany,  including  Botanical  Technology — Geology — Mineralogy 
— Zoology. 

4.  Department  of  Languages.  Latin  and  Greek. 

The  first  of  these  departments  shall  be  an  obligatory  study 
upon  all  regular  course  students.  Those  who  have  studied  the 
Ancient  languages  will,  with  the  advice  of  the  Faculty,  elect 
two  of  the  other  three  departments,  or  pursue  the  Modern  lan¬ 
guages  in  lieu  of  Latin  and  Greek.  Those  who  have  studied 
the  Modern  languages  will  pursue  the  studies  of  both  the  Scien¬ 
tific  departments. 

5.  In  addition  to  the  above,  there  shall  be  a  Department  of 
Drawing,  and  all  who  pursue  the  upper  department  of  Mathe¬ 
matics  and  Mechanics,  shall  take  Drawing  lessons. 

The  plan  above  sketched  will  seem  a  bold  one  to  many 
who  have  been  accustomed  to  regard  the  established  system 
as  defining  the  limits  within  which  a  safe,  sound,  and  thorough 
education  must  be  confined.  The  feature  which  will  strike 
them  as  a  radical  and  dangerous  innovation,  is  the  permission 
to  omit  Latin  and  Greek  in  the  regular  undergraduate  course, 
and  admission  to  a  degree  without  any  knowledge  of  them. 
But  it  appears  to  the  undersigned  that  there  are  weighty  rea¬ 
sons  for  trying  the  experiment.  They  have  no  desire  of 


30 


detracting  from  the  value  of  Classical  studies,  and  much  less, 
have  they  any  disposition  to  go  over  the  old  argument  upon 
the  subject.  They  are  unanimously  of  opinion  that  the  critical 
and  extended  study  of  the  languages  of  Ancient  Greece  and 
Rome — languages  which,  though  no  longer  spoken  in  their 
original  forms,  are  still  upon  the  lips  of  many  nations  and  live 
again  in  several  of  the  tongues  of  modern  Europe,  constituting 
an  important  part  of  our  vocabulary,  and  affording,  in  the 
exercise  of  translation,  a  discipline  of  incomparable  excellence 
in  the  discriminating  use  of  words,  and  in  all  the  niceties  of 
construction ;  languages  so  copious  in  resources  and  admirable 
in  structure,  so  pure  in  the  style  of  the  authors,  and  rich  in  a 
literature  that  can  boast  of  the  highest  models  of  eloquence 
and  the  best  specimens  of  poetry  in  all  its  varieties;  that 
contains  the  fountains  of  philosophy  and  is  replete  with  the 
spirit  of  ancient  civilization;  that  is  storied  with  glorious  exam¬ 
ples  of  patriotism  and  heroic  virtue,  and  adorned  with  the  gay 
pictures  of  an  imaginative  mythology — is  one  of  the  most 
valuable,  as  it  is  the  most  elegant  of  studies,  to  those  who  aim 
at  distinguished  scholarship,  and  will  devote  the  requisite 
time  to  their  education.  These  languages  are  the  only  keys 
that  will  unlock  some  of  the  choicest  treasuries  of  knowledge. 
To  those  who  are  pursuing  their  studies  with  the  view  of 
entering  upon  the  sacred  ministry,  the  study  of  them  is  an 
indispensable  part  of  a  thorough  course  of  collegiate  education. 
The  Greek  language  contains  the  very  words  in  which  are 
expressed  to  us  the  teachings  of  our  Holy  Redeemer,  and  the 
writings  of  his  Apostles,  and  the  knowledge  of  it  is  therefore 
essential  to  a  critical  study  of  the  Scriptures  of  the  New 
Testament. 

But  others  believe,  and  some  of  them  men  of  intelligence 
and  education,  that  Latin  and  Greek  are  less  valuable  to  the 
majority  of  young  men  than  other  departments  of  study  ;  and 
many  are  deterred  from  giving  their  children  a  high  educa- 


31 


tion  because  in  all  our  institutions  these  languages  constitute 
an  important  part  of  the  instruction,  and  consume  several 
years  in  their  acquisition.  They  are  regarded  as  occupying 
the  place  of  studies  of  practical  utility.  A  course  of  useful 
and  sound  education  can  certainly  be  arranged  without  them ; 
and  if  this  be  the  case,  it  is  perfectly  clear  that  both  the 
wants  and  the  opinions  of  the  community  are  to  be  regarded 
in  arranging  a  scheme  of  instruction  for  their  use. 

There  is  a  compensation  for  Latin  and  Greek  in  the  admi¬ 
rable  double  scientific  course,  which,  in  the  value  of  the  stu¬ 
dies,  and  their  general  influence  upon  the  education,  claims 
a  high  estimate.  The  value  of  the  study  of  the  Natural  Sci¬ 
ences,  as  teaching  lessons  of  careful  observation,  of  compari¬ 
son,  and  of  systematic  classification,  is  an  important  off-set 
against  the  training  which  the  critical  study  of  the  ancient 
languages  carries  with  it. 

The  study  of  the  Modern  Languages  is  also  a  useful  one, 
and  conveys  important  collateral  advantages.  For  mercan¬ 
tile  life,  some  of  them  have  an  immediate  practical  value. 
They  contain  literary  treasures  of  beauty  and  worth,  and  are 
stored  with  the  discoveries  of  modern  science.  The  exercise 
of  translation  is  immeasurably  inferior  to  the  study  of  the 
Classic  tongues,  as  teaching  the  precise  use  of  words,  but  is 
calculated  in  a  high  degree  to  impart  facility  in  the  use  of 
language.  If  they  are  only  taught  properly,  they  may  afford 
a  most  valuable  discipline.  All  the  principles  of  grammar  and 
the  philosophy  of  language  can  be  learned  from  the  study  of 
them,  if  they  should  be  taught  as  critically  as  Latin  and 
Greek  are  taught.  They  are  proposed  as  a  substitute 
partially  for  the  Ancient  Languages,  to  such  as  shall  so  elect, 
because  it  appears  to  be  only  reasonable  that  in  the  plan  of 
our  higher  institutions  the  advantages  of  a  superior  education, 
with  the  knowledge  of  these  languages,  should  be  afforded  to 
those  who  have  a  decided  preference  for  them.  They  will 


32 


be  particularly  prized  by  those  who  will  choose  to  pursue 
a  two  years’  course  ;  and  the  scheme  is  arranged  for  the  first 
two  years,  so  as  to  provide  an  education  excellent  and  com¬ 
plete  in  itself,  as  far  as  it  goes,  varied  in  its  development,  and 
furnishing  a  basis  on  which,  in  after  life,  a  solid  structure  of 
knowledge  may  be  reared. 

The  Committee  entertain  the  hope  that  the  opening  of  a 
course  of  superior  education,  without  including  in  it  as  a 
necessary  condition  the  dead  languages,  will  increase  the  num¬ 
ber  of  those  wrho  will  receive  such  education.  They  believe 
that  it  will  not  detract  from  the  estimation  of  classical  studies, 
nor  diminish  the  number  of  those  who  will  pursue  them.  An 
opportunity  will  be  afforded  for  proving  the  superiority  which 
the  friends  of  classical  learning  claim  for  it  as  a  means  of  dis¬ 
cipline,  if  the  two  classes  of  students  shall  meet  together  in  all 
their  other  studies  and  compare  their  strength.  The  cham¬ 
pions  of  the  classics  should  be  willing  to  submit  their  favorite 
study  to  such  a  test,  and  to  trust  the  Voluntary  system  to  this 
extent.  A  very  interesting  experiment  of  a  similar  character 
has  been  made  for  a  short  period  in  the  F ree  Academy  of  the 
City  of  New-York.  The  pupils  of  that  institution  have  all 
received  their  preliminary  education  in  the  common  schools, 
and  are  eminently  the  children  of  the  people.  They  have 
perfect  freedom  of  choice  whether  they  will  study  the  Modern 
Languages  or  Latin  and  Greek,  and  neither  is  compulsory. 
There  have  been  four  entrances,  to  wit :  one  hundred  and 
forty-three  scholars  were  admitted  at  the  first  examination, 
fifty-nine  at  the  second,  fifty -three  at  the  third,  and  eighty- 
one  at  the  fourth ;  and  nearly  three  fourths  of  each  class  have 
chosen  Latin  and  Greek.  The  fact  is  interesting,  as  showing 
that  these  studies  have  a  strong  hold  on  the  popular  mind, 
notwithstanding  the  prejudices  with  which  they  have  been 
assailed  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  extravagant  idolatry  they 
have  received  on  the  other. 


S3 


But  there  is  one  preliminary  to  the  fair  working  of  this 
experiment  that  is  essential.  The  requirements  for  admis¬ 
sion  must  be  so  regulated,  and  measured  in  both  cases  with 
such  nicety  and  impartiality,  that  the  two  classes  of  students  • 
shall  be  brought  up  to  the  same  age  and  as  nearly  as  possible 
to  the  same  level  in  their  education.  The  examination  of  the 
Modern  Language  students  for  admission,  by  its  minute 
strictness,  and  by  demanding  the  knowledge  of  some  branches 
not  usually  required,  in  lieu  of  Latin  and  Greek,  should  be 
made  equivalent  to  that  of  the  other  class  of  candidates. 
There  are  reasons  for  this  arrangement,  besides  the  necessity 
of  the  equalization  of  the  attainments  of  the  pupils  in  order 
to  insure  the  symmetry  and  success  of  the  plan.  It  would 
serve  no  useful  purpose  in  any  respect  that  Colleges  should 
receive  students  at  a  less  advanced  stage  than  this  arrange¬ 
ment  would  secure ;  and  it  would  be  exceedingly  disadvan¬ 
tageous  to  the  general  cause  of  education  that  they  should 
encroach  upon  the  proper  sphere  of  our  excellent  academies. 

In  these,  certain  of  the  branches  included  in  the  course  pro¬ 
posed  for  the  Freshman  and  the  Sophomore  years  are  taught, 
and  in  some  of  them  are  well  taught.  But  they  are  such 
studies  as  can  be  pursued  to  more  advantage  at  a  later  period 
in  the  boy’s  education,  if  it  be  his  intention  to  continue  it  up 
to  a  higher  point.  There  can  be  no  difficulty  in  arranging 
the  scheme  of  the  academy  to  accommodate  itself  to  the 
College  requirement,  by  furnishing  instruction  in  the  specific 
studies  demanded. 

Let  us  follow  the  Modern  Language  student  through  his 
course  in  the  University.  His  studies  in  French  and  German 
cease  at  the  end  of  the  first  two  years.  The  time  allowed  is 
liberal,  sufficient  in  which  to  acquire  an  excellent  and  avail¬ 
able  knowledge  of  both;  and  both  ought  to  be  taught  in  such 
a  way  that  the  students  shall  be  able  to  speak  them.  He 
has  throughout  the  same  period  been  pursuing  all  the  studies 


34 


in  the  department  of  History  and  Belles  Lettres,  and  in  that  of 
Mathematics  and  Natural  Philosophy.  During  the  remain¬ 
ing  two  years  he  will  pursue  the  Mathematical  and  Mechani¬ 
cal  department  with  all  that  is  included  under  it,  the  Natural 
Science  department,  with  its  elegant  and  useful  branches,  and 
the  Belles  Lettres  and  Philosophical  department ;  and  when 
qualified  to  take  his  degree,  will  have  received  an  admirable 
variety  of  mental  training,  and  will  have  an  education  of  a 
high  rank.  It  will  not  be  a  classical,  but  it  will  certainly  be 
a  liberal  education,  winning  for  its  possessor  social  considera¬ 
tion  everywhere,  by  the  highly  diversified  intelligence  it  has 
imparted  to  him,  and  eminently  adapted  for  general  useful¬ 
ness.  As  a  scientific  education,  it  will  be  far  superior  to  any¬ 
thing  afforded  in  the  ordinary  arrangement ;  two  thirds  of 
the  time  during  the  two  last  and  best  years  of  the  student’s 
course  being  devoted  to  the  sciences.  As  a  literary  educa¬ 
tion,  it  will  also  claim  a  high  estimation. 

Let  us  in  like  manner  follow  the  course  of  the  Classical 
student.  During  the  Freshman  and  Sophomore  years  he  has 
pursued  his  Latin  and  Greek  studies,  and  all  those  in  the  Sci¬ 
entific  and  English  departments,  except  that  he  has  omitted, 
during  half  the  F reshman  year,  a  part  of  the  Historical  course. 

During  the  Junior  and  Senior  years,  he  will,  like  the  other 
class  of  students,  pursue  all  the  studies  in  the  department  of 
Belles  Lettres  and  Philosophy;  for  these  cannot  be  abandoned 
in  any  plan  of  good  education.  In  this  course  are  included 
Moral  and  Intellectual  Philosophy,  which  must  have  sufficient 
space  allowed  to  them  to  be  taught  in  the  most  thorough 
manner,  even  though  other  studies  in  the  department  should 
be  confined  within  narrow  limits.  No  one  will  dispute  the 
importance  of  laying  deeply  in  the  mind  the  principles  of 
morals,  as  embodied  in  the  science  which  bears  -that  name. 
Morals,  based  upon  Religion — Philosophy,  resting  upon  the 
Wisdom  that  is  revealed  to  us  from  above — are  to  be  the 


35 


teachings  of  this  Christian  school.  Its  foundation  is  the  work 
of  Christian  hands,  it  will  live  in  the  affections  of  Christian 
hearts,  and  the  spirit  of  religion  must  be  felt  throughout  all 
the  instruction  here  communicated,  give  the  tone  to  its  disci¬ 
pline,  and  pervade,  if  possible,  the  entire  intercourse  of  all 
that  shall  be  gathered  within  its  walls.  The  study  of  Meta¬ 
physics,  unpractical  as  it  appears,  is,  in  view  of  its  religious 
and  moral  bearings,  one  of  the  most  necessary  at  the  present 
day  to  our  young  men  of  education.  Its  discipline,  although 
altogether  peculiar  in  its  power,  might  be  dispensed  with,  for 
the  discipline  is  not  without  its  dangers,  and  the  skill  acquired 
may  be  perverted  to  a  fatal  abuse.  But  the  youth  must  needs 
pursue  the  study  with  all  its  risks,  in  order  that  he  may  be 
warned,  and,  if  possible,  fully  armed,  against  errors  more 
perilous  to  his  best  interests  than  any  ignorance  of  worldly 
wisdom.  The  sophisms  that  lie  hidden  in  the  numerous  false 
philosophical  systems  and  opinions  that  are  afloat,  are  opposed 
to  all  the  precious  truths  of  the  Christian  faith.  These  opinions 
are  ruling,  or  striving  to  rule,  the  mental  and  moral  world. 
They  have  already  installed  Reason  in  the  place  of  God  in 
many  of  the  churches  of  the  Reformation.  They  are  spread¬ 
ing  heresies  in  our  own  land.  They  pervade  society. 
They  breathe  their  miasma  throughout  the  literature  of  the 
day.  Every  educated  young  man  will  meet  them,  and  must 
struggle  with  them  in  a  desperate  conflict.  There  is  no  part 
of  his  education,  therefore,  more  indispensable  than  this,  that 
under  some  most  able  and  thoroughly  sound  Christian  philos¬ 
opher  he  shall  learn  their  character  and  tendency. 

He  will  choose  between  the  two  Scientific  departments 
which  he  will  pursue.  He  will  take  the  Mathematical  or  the 
Natural  Science  department,  as  he  deems  the  knowledge  in 
either  most  advantageous  for  him  in  view  of  his  career,  and 
will  generally  be  confined  to  the  studies  in  the  department 
selected.  It  will  be  entirely  practicable,  however,  without 


36 


producing  too  great  a  complication,  so  to  arrange  these  studies 
that  the  further  privilege  maybe  afforded  to  him,  with  respect 
to  some  of  them,  to  exchange  one  study  in  the  department  he 
has  selected  for  another  study  parallel  to  it  in  the  other 
department.  But  this  is  a  matter  of  detail  that  need  not  be 
considered  at  large.  As  a  general  rule  throughout,  no  student 
can  be  permitted  to  abandon  a  course  of  study  once  com¬ 
menced,  or  to  enter  upon  any  branch  without  having  pursued 
all  the  studies  that  constitute  the  regular  gradations  to  it. 

He  will,  almost  as  a  matter  of  course,  continue  his  classical 
studies.  Those  who  are  preparing  for  the  ministry  will  all 
continue  their  Latin  and  Greek  studies  through  the  entire 
course.  Other  students  may,  with  permission  of  the  Faculty, 
terminate  the  Latin  and  Greek  course,  and  pursue  instead 
either  the  study  of  the  Modern  languages,  or  both  the  scien¬ 
tific  departments.  The  decision  of  the  F acuity  will  depend 
upon  the  determination  of  the  young  man  as  to  his  pursuit  in 
life,  and  upon  various  other  considerations.  The  knowledge 
of  the  Ancient  languages  which  the  student  has  acquired,  is 
excellent  as  a  preparation  for  the  study  of  the  Modern  lan¬ 
guages,  and  a  valuable  part  of  his  general  education.  It 
ought  to  be  accurate  and  extensive  enough  to  qualify  him  to 
teach  the  Languages  in  a  school  or  academy,  and  to  enable 
him  to  prosecute  the  study  for  himself  in  after  life  without  a 
teacher. 

Whether  the  regular  course  classical  students  shall  be 
allowed  to  study  besides  one  or  more  of  the  Modern  lan¬ 
guages,  is  a  question  that  must  be  determined  in  view  of  each 
particular  case.  With  good  students,  it  will  be  practicable 
to  provide  for  the  acquisition  of  one  of  them  in  addition  to 
their  other  studies,  or  indeed  room  may  be  made  for  it  in 
particular  instances,  where  it  may  be  deemed  necessary. 
For  those  who  are  candidates  for  the  ministry,  the  opportunity 
will  be  offered  to  acquire  a  good  knowledge  of  German, 


87 


except  in  cases  where  the  low  position  of  the  student  in  his 
other  studies  renders  it  entirely  inadmissible. 

For  the  latter  class  of  students,  it  is  proposed,  also,  that 
provision  be  made  for  teaching  the  Hebrew  Language.  The 
friends  of  the  University  of  Rochester  have  a  right  to  expect 
that  every  arrangement  should  be  made,  consistently  with 
the  general  interests  of  the  institution,  to  give  all  the  collegi¬ 
ate  training  that  can  be  desired,  for  those  who  are  to  enter 
hereafter  upon  a  theological  course. 

But  the  crowding  in  of  extra  studies,  beyond  those  of  the 
regular  courses,  is  generally  very  undesirable.  The  exercises 
in  the  departments  of  study  which  each  regular  course  stu¬ 
dent  is  to  pursue,  should  be  such  as  to  task  his  powers  and 
industry.  If  he  adds  extra  studies,  the  effect  will  no  doubt 
generally  be,  that  his  progress  in  all  will  be  injured,  and  he 
will  lose,  instead  of  gaining,  by  the  experiment.  The  true 
plan  will  be,  for  those  who  wish  to  receive  all  the  advantages 
furnished  in  the  arrangements  of  instruction  provided,  to 
remain  an  additional  year  in  the  institution.  They  can  then 
do  ample  justice  to  all  the  studies  of  the  scheme.  This 
course  is  earnestly  recommended  to  those  who  aim  at  high 
scholarship.  The  students  who  shall  remain  for  five  years 
in  the  University  of  Rochester,  and  pursue  thoroughly  the 
studies  of  all  the  departments,  will,  it  is  believed,  receive  an 
education  superior  to  what  is  furnished  in  any  of  the  College 
systems  that  have  been  established. 

Another  mode  of  examining  the  scheme  proposed  is,  to 
look  at  the  several  departments,  and  observe  how  extended 
and  efficient  they  are  to  be  made.  This  examination  will 
afford  the  opportunity  of  exhibiting  the  views  of  the  Commit¬ 
tee,  as  to  the  mode  of  filling  up  the  outline  when  it  is  to  be 
carried  out  in  its  details  and  put  in  execution.  Let  us  take 
up  the  departments  separately. 

Course  of  English  Literary  and  Philosophical  studies.  If 


38 


any  one  of  the  departments  is  to  be  regarded  as  occupying  a 
position  of  pre-eminence,  this  course  of  studies,  viewed  as  a 
whole,  will  claim  that  place.  It  is  the  only  department  that 
is  compulsory  throughout  on  all  the  regular  course  students. 
The  branches  embraced  in  it  are  those  which  are  specially 
exposed  to  be  crowded  out,  or  narrowed  in,  by  Latin  and 
Greek  and  Mathematics  ;  and  they  do  not,  in  most  institutions, 
receive  the  large  share  of  attention  which  is  allowed  in  the 
present  plan.  One  hour’s  recitation  each  day  for  the  whole 
four  years  (with  the  exception,  noticed  above  in  this  Report,  of 
half  the  Freshman  year,  during  which  the  classical  students 
will  omit  a  portion  of  the  Historical  course) — about  one  third 
of  the  entire  time  of  the  student — is  to  be  employed  in  this 
department.  The  course  in  Modern  History  will  occupy  the 
Freshman  year  probably.  It  would  be  a  beautiful  consum¬ 
mation  to  it,  if  at  an  advanced  period  in  the  whole  course, 
some  higher  instruction  in  History  could  be  given  by  lectures, 
opening  great  philosophical  views,  tracing  its  currents  in  the 
channels  of  political  organizations,  viewing  it  in  its  connec¬ 
tions  with  the  science  of  Ethnology,  and  showing  other 
aspects  of  this  interesting  subject.  Half  of  the  Sophomore 
year  may  be  assigned  to  Rhetoric,  and  the  remaining  half  to 
the  History  of  English  Literature,  which  should  be  accompa¬ 
nied  with  nice  criticisms,  and  should  come  quite  up  to  the 
present  epoch,  in  order  to  show  the  exact  character  of  the 
literature  of  the  day.  The  remaining  two  years  will  be  em¬ 
ployed  in  a  course  of  Logic,  in  obtaining  a  brief  view  of  the 
science  of  Political  Economy,  in  Intellectual  and  Moral  Phi¬ 
losophy,  in  the  study  of  the  Evidences  of  Natural  and  Revealed 
Religion,  and  in  obtaining  an  acquaintance  with  the  Princi¬ 
ples  of  Law.  In  addition  to  these  branches,  exercises  in 
Composition  and  Declamation  are  to  be  demanded  at  frequent 
intervals,  and  maintained  throughout  from  the  beginning  to 
the  end  of  the  four  years.  There  is  no  more  indisputable 


39 


mark  of  a  good  education,  than  the  ability  to  express  original 
thought  in  a  pure  style — it  is  one  of  the  chief  ends  of  the 
whole  training.  Oratory  should  be  taught  by  an  instructor, 
and  the  student  drilled  regularly  at  each  declamation.  The 
object  of  teaching  this  branch  with  so  much  care  is  not  to 
multiply  declaimers,  but  to  impart  simplicity  and  effective¬ 
ness  to  delivery,  and  to  temper  and  polish  one  of  the  most 
important  instruments  with  which,  at  the  present  day,  the  man 
of  thought  can  be  furnished. 

Course  of  Latin  and  Greek.  This  extends  in  like  manner 
over  four  years — two  recitations  per  day  during  half  the 
Freshman  year,  and  one  recitation  per  day  during  the  remain¬ 
der  of  the  four  years.  The  course  is  highly  respectable,  and 
will  compare  favorably  with  that  of  any  other  institution.  A 
larger  amount  of  time  is  allowed  to  the  languages  in  many 
of  our  Colleges,  but  chiefly  during  the  first  two  years,  and  the 
space  allotted  to  them  in  the  Junior  and  Senior  years  is  quite 
small.  The  even  distribution  of  the  study  over  the  whole 
period,  and  the  space  assigned  to  it  in  the  upper  and  better 
years,  are  very  important  advantages. 

Course  of  Mathematics.  The  course  of  Mathematics,  pure 
and  mixed,  extends  also  over  four  years — one  recitation  each 
day — with  this  exception,  that  the  latter  part  of  the  Sopho¬ 
more  year  is  reserved  for  a  short  course  in  Natural  Philoso¬ 
phy.  This  arrangement  is  proposed,  because  the  course  for 
the  first  two  years  will  be  pursued  by  all,  and  some  knowl¬ 
edge  of  the  principles  of  Natural  Philosophy  appears  to  be 
indispensable  in  any  respectable  education.  It  is  not  placed 
in  the  J unior  year,  where  it  is  usually  placed,  because  both 
the  Scientific  courses  of  the  two  upper  years  are  to  be  elec¬ 
tive.  The  acquisitions  of  the  student  in  Mathematics  will  be 
sufficient  to  prepare  him  for  the  proper  study  of  this  impor¬ 
tant  branch.  The  Mathematical  course  will  continue  unbroken 
during  the  Junior  and  Senior  years — by  far  the  most  valuable 


40 


half  of  the  whole  period  for  such  investigations.  The  means 
will  be  afforded  of  producing  very  superior  scientific  scholars. 
The  higher  branches  of  Mathematics  and  the  Mathematics  of 
Astronomy  may  be  carried  much  further  than  is  usual  in  Col¬ 
leges.  But  the  most  marked  advantage  anticipated  is  the 
introduction  of  an  important  range  of  useful  branches  which 
it  is  impossible  to  provide  under  the  ordinary  arrangements  of 
a  single  uniform  course.  There  will  be,  during  the  two 
years,  the  opportunity  of  teaching  well  several  of  the  more 
prominent  applications  of  Mathematical  science  to  civil  life 
and  the  Arts  of  industry. 

Course  of  Natural  Sciences.  This  extends  over  the  Junior 
and  Senior  years — one  recitation  per  day.  In  this  depart¬ 
ment,  as  in  the  Mathematical  and  Mechanical  course,  are 
seen  in  a  striking  light,  the  differences  between  the  plan  pro¬ 
posed  and  the  ordinary  arrangement.  The  great  feature  of 
the  present  plan  is  the  double  Scientific  course ;  and  it  seems 
to  offer  the  only  feasible  mode  of  doing  justice  to  the  more 
necessary  sciences.  The  Natural  Sciences  are  more  circum¬ 
scribed  in  space,  and  taught  more  imperfectly,  than  any  other 
studies  embraced  in  the  usual  curriculum.  The  course  pro¬ 
posed  will  afford  the  means  of  communicating  a  wide  extent 
of  valuable  instruction  in  Chemistry  and  other  Natural  Sci¬ 
ences,  and  of  giving  it  a  more  practical  direction  than  is  pos¬ 
sible  in  the  single  course  plan. 

Course  of  Modern  Languages.  This  is  a  good  course  in 
French  and  German,  occupying  two  years — one  hour’s  reci¬ 
tation  each  day. 

Course  of  Drawing.  This  is  an  extra  department,  and  one 
of  great  practical  value.  Skill  in  drawing  is  an  elegant 
acquisition  to  any  one,  but  indispensable  to  those  who  wish 
to  graduate  as  competent  civil  engineers  or  scientific  mech¬ 
anists. 

The  distinguishing  peculiarity  of  the  scheme  which  has  thus 


41 


been  sketched  in  its  general  outline  is,  that  it  furnishes  sys¬ 
tematic  instruction  for  each  student,  and  at  the  same  time 
allows  him  a  freedom  of  choice,  so  that  he  may  acquire  such 
branches  as  he  shall  particularly  desire,  and  pursue  some  of 
them  more  thoroughly  than  the  arrangements  of  a  uniform  Col¬ 
lege  course  will  allow.  It  will  be  seen  that  two  main  courses 
of  instruction  are  contemplated.  The  one,  because  of  the 
amount  of  instruction  in  the  sciences  which  it  contains,  may 
be  properly  called  a  Scientific  course  of  education.  The 
student  who  shall  pass  through  it  successfully  will  receive  the 
appropriate  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Sciences.  The  other  is  a 
complete  course  of  Classical  education,  diversified,  it  is  hoped, 
with  a  judicious  admixture  of  scientific,  literary,  and  philo¬ 
sophical  instruction.  Those  who  pursue  it  successfully  to  the 
end  will  merit  the  degree,  which  is  the  usual  designation  of 
a  similar  education,  that  of  Bachelor  of  Arts. 

The  adaptedness  of  the  scheme  to  the  wants  of  those  who 
will  resort  to  the  University  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  their 
general  educational  preparation  for  the  work  of  the  gospel 
ministry,  has  been  carefully  considered.  It  is  believed  to 
combine  all  the  elements  that  can  be  desired  to  this  end.  In 
the  wide  provisions  of  scientific  instruction,  there  will  be  pre¬ 
sented,  to  those  who  may  be  commissioned  to  go  to  heathen 
lands  as  the  missionaries  of  Christianity  and  of  civilization, 
the  means  of  obtaining  the  knowledge  with  which  they  can 
cut  up  by  the  roots  the  false  scientific  views  that  are  inter¬ 
twined  inseparably  with  many  of  the  pagan  systems.  The 
literary  cultivation  embraced  in  the  ample  rhetorical  course, 
and  the  special  instruction  in  delivety,  will  tend  to  make 
those  who  possess  the  indispensable  spiritual  gifts,  acceptable 
and  impressive  preachers.  No  portion  of  the  moral  machin¬ 
ery  of  education  is  to  be  slighted.  The  two  years’  course 
will  be  found  a  valuable  preparation  to  young  men  who  have 
devoted  themselves  to  the  sacred  office,  and  may  feel  it  to  be 


42 


their  duty,  in  the  call  of  Divine  Providence,  to  terminate  their 
literary  training  at  this  period. 

The  Committee  recommend  that  the  means  of  education  in 
special  branches  be  extended  still  more  liberally  to  students 
who  have  not  the  time  to  take  the  entire  course.  The  admis¬ 
sion  of  partial  course  students  may  be  safely  left  in  the 
hands  of  the  Faculty.  No  scholar  can  be  admitted  to  pursue 
any  branch  of  instruction  unless  he  possess  the  requisite 
qualifications  for  pursuing  it  with  credit  to  himself  and  to  the 
institution.  His  admission,  the  course  he  may  pursue,  and 
his  advancement,  will  be  regulated  by  the  Faculty,  and  not 
left  to  his  own  choice  simply.  It  is  hoped  that  the  advantages 
of  education  that  will  be  furnished  in  the  University  may  thus 
be  thrown  open  in  particular  cases,  where  it  will  be  of  great 
service  to  young  men  whose  means,  or  situation,  perhaps 
whose  industrial  avocations,  may  prevent  their  prosecuting  a 
regular  College  course.  There  is  no  danger  that  this  privilege, 
thus  regulated  and  controlled,  can  ever  break  down  the  regu¬ 
lar  system,  or  occasion  any  serious  injury  to  its  successful 
working. 

It  is  proposed  that  certificates  be  given  to  students,  when 
desired,  of  their  attainments  in  any  particular  department. 
These  may  be  useful  as  testimonials  of  capacity  and  knowl¬ 
edge,  and  aid  them  in  obtaining  good  situations  or  employ¬ 
ment.  Certificates,  also,  for  the  two  years’  course  should  be 
prepared  specially,  as  this  is  a  point  where  a  good  many  will 
be  likely  to  leave,  to  enter  into  business. 

W e  now  come  to  consider  the  very  important  question  of 
the  requirements  of  admission.  The  following  scheme  is 
proposed  : — 


1.  Candidates  for  admission  to  the  Freshman  Class,  who  are  clas¬ 
sical  students,  shall  be  examined  in 

The  English,  Latin,  and  Greek  Grammars, 

Cornelius  Nepos, 


43 


Caesar’s  Commentaries, 

Virgil’s  JEneid, 

Cicero’s  Select  Orations, 

Translating  English  into  Latin, 

Greek  Reader, 

Three  Books  of  Xenophon’s  Anabasis, 

Geography,  and  in 

All  the  rules  of  Arithmetic ; 

and  those  only  who  shall  pass  a  good  examination  shall  be  entitled 
to  admission. 

2.  Candidates  for  admission  to  the  Freshman  Class,  who  are 
not  classical  students,  shall  be  examined  in  the  following  studies  : — 

Spelling, 

Defining, 

Reading, 

Writing, 

Geography, 

English  Grammar, 

English  Composition,  (so  far  as  to  exhibit  some  practice,) 

History  of  the  United  States,  (equal  to  contents  of  the  ordinary 
School  Histories,) 

Ancient  History  and  Geography,  (equal  to  contents  of  Arnold’s 
Pitt’s  Ancient  History,) 

Constitution  of  the  United  States,  and  in 
All  the  rules  of  Arithmetic ; 

and  those  only  who  shall  pass  a  good  examination  in  these  studies 
shall  be  entitled  to  admission. 

3.  No  student  shall  be  admitted  to  the  Freshman  Class  who  has 
not  arrived  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years,  nor  to  an  advanced  Class, 
unless  at  a  corresponding  age. 

The  qualifications  for  the  admission  of  classical  students 
are  high,  and  will  demand  thorough  teaching  on  the  part  of 
those  who  shall  prepare  pupils  for  entrance.  A  good  and 
accurate  knowledge  of  the  studies  prescribed  should,  in  all 
cases,  be  required.  It  will  be  perceived  that  Algebra  is  not 
included  in  the  list  of  requirements,  but  a  searching  examina- 


44 


tion  in  all  the  rules  of  Arithmetic  will  prove  to  be  more  than 
an  equivalent  for  the  small  amount  of  Algebra  usually  de¬ 
manded.  With  respect  to  the  qualifications  for  the  admission 
of  candidates  who  are  not  classical  students,  it  may  be  sup¬ 
posed  by  some,  that  they  do  not  demand  very  high  attainments. 
But,  interpreted  in  their  strictness,  they  will  probably  be 
found  sufficiently  high.  The  examination  should  be  con¬ 
ducted  so  as  to  show  the  discipline  which  the  pupil’s  mind 
has  received  in  his  preparatory  education,  and  should  test 
his  acquaintance  with  principles  as  well  as  with  facts  and 
rules.  There  can  be  no  difficulty,  in  regard  to  this  class  of 
candidates,  in  insisting  upon  the  qualifications  in  their  full 
meaning,  because  there  is  neither  temptation  nor  constraint, 
arising  from  the  example  and  the  competition  of  other  institu¬ 
tions,  to  conduct  the  examination  otherwise.  A  total  failure 
in  any  one  branch  should  cause  the  rejection  of  the  applicant. 

The  qualifications  demanded  for  the  admission  of  classical 
students  would  be  found  a  superior  preparation  for  all  who 
enter.  This  is  respectfully  suggested,  and  earnestly  recom¬ 
mended,  to  students  and  parents,  in  case  this  scheme  should 
be  adopted.  Candidates  for  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of 
Sciences,  who  shall  be  willing  to  prepare  themselves  in  those 
qualifications,  would  find  the  discipline  of  such  preparation 
of  great  service  to  them  in  all  their  studies.  The  preliminary 
course  of  Latin  and  Greek,  though  it  should  be  prosecuted  no 
further,  will  introduce  the  student,  as  no  other  method  of 
study  can,  to  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  English  language, 
and  to  a  perfect  acquaintance  with  the  principles  of  grammar. 
The  study  of  Latin  is  probably  a  real  economy  of  time  to 
those  who  wish  to  learn  the  languages  of  Southern  Europe. 

The  necessity  of  rigid  examinations  in  order  to  ascertain  the 
qualifications  of  students  to  be  promoted  from  class  to  class 
in  the  course  has  been  already  insisted  on.  In  laying  down 
a  plan  of  instruction,  nothing  more  can  be  done  with  refer- 


45 


ence  to  this  subject  than  to  pass  a  general  rule,  that  no  student 
shall  be  advanced  unless  found  qualified  in  all  his  studies. 
This  is,  in  its  nature,  a  matter  that  depends  upon  Executive 
administration.  As  a  means  of  testing  progress,  a  record 
should  be  kept  of  the  merit  of  every  exercise  of  each  student 
throughout  the  whole  term ;  and  his  position  should  be  deter¬ 
mined  from  these  as  well  as  from  the  review  examinations. 
Marks  of  demerit  should  also  be  carefully  registered,  and  con¬ 
stantly  used  as  a  means  of  discipline  for  slight  offenses,  until 
they  swell  to  an  amount  demanding  severer  remedies.  If,  in 
addition,  the  practice  be  pursued  of  hearing  a  recitation  gen¬ 
erally  from  each  student  every  dsy  in  all  the  branches  he 
studies,  all  has  been  done  that  can  be  done  by  theory  in 
securing  thorough  attention  and  preparation.  The  rest  depends 
upon  the  administration;  and  that  must  be  invested  with  the 
requisite  power,  and  sustained  in  its  decisions.  There  will  be 
peculiar  need  of  this  strictness  of  management  in  an  institu¬ 
tion  furnishing  so  many  branches  of  instruction,  and  admitting 
the  principle  of  elective  studies  to  the  extent  proposed  in  the 
University  of  Rochester.  It  cannot  be  made  a  great  institution, 
and  will  not  be  found  to  work  smoothly  in  its  internal  man¬ 
agement,  unless  this  strictness  is  maintained  with  unflinching 
firmness. 

It  seems  proper  to  remark,  in  regard  to  the  plan  of  instruc¬ 
tion  sketched  above,  that  it  is  not  an  economical  one.  This  is 
undoubtedly  true,  if  the  number  of  students  shall  be  small. 
If  the  number  should  be  large,  the  plan  will  not  necessarily 
involve  any  material  increase  of  expense,  as  extra  instructors 
would  in  that  case  be  provided,  even  if  the  number  of  branches 
taught  were  less  extended,  and  all  pursued  the  same  course. 
The  increase  of  the  expense  is  not,  however,  so  considerable 
that  it  will  deter  the  Trustees  from  adopting  the  plan,  if  they 
deem  it  a  better  one  than  the  old  system.  It  may  be  the  very 


46 


means  of  making  the  institution  prosperous  in  its  resources, 
increasing  the  number  of  students,  and  enlisting  the  sympathy 
of  all  classes  of  the  community  in  its  support. 

There  is  one  way,  however,  in  which  the  expenses  must  be 
kept  down ;  and  that  is,  by  the  Professors  themselves,  in  under¬ 
taking  freely  to  bear  the  burden  of  instruction.  The  duty  of 
teaching  need  not  be  limited,  as  it  is  sometimes,  to  one  or  two 
hours  per  day.  This  amount  of  duty,  extending,  as  it  does, 
if  the  vacations  are  deducted,  over  about  three  fourths  of  the 
year,  is  certainly  very  light  duty — less  than  is  reasonable  in 
itself,  or  than  the  limited  resources  of  our  colleges  will  admit. 
The  Professors  may  be  appointed  with  some  distinct  under¬ 
standing  as  to  the  number  of  hours  each  day  they  may  be 
called  upon  to  give  instruction,  and  in  some  instances  extra 
branches  may  be  assigned  to  them  which  they  are  well  quali¬ 
fied  to  teach.  In  this  way,  the  service  may  be  performed 
with  a  just  economy,  and  with  proper  efficiency.  There  is  no 
doubt  that  qualified  men  can  be  found  to  undertake  the  duties 
of  the  respective  Professorships  upon  these  conditions. 

There  are  several  other  important  considerations  connected 
with  the  organization  and  management  of  the  University, 
which  it  may  be  expected  that  the  Committee  should  notice, 
although  not  literally  included  in  the  terms  of  the  resolution 
under  which  they  act.  One  of  these  is,  the  arrangement  of 
the  terms  and  vacations.  It  is  exceedingly  difficult  in  this 
matter  to  meet  the  views  of  all.  It  is  by  some  considered  an 
important  point,  that  the  vacations  should  be  so  distributed, 
and  should  be  so  long,  as  to  allow  students  to  provide  for  their 
own  support,  by  laboring  in  the  harvest  field  in  summer,  and 
by  teaching  school  in  winter.  The  class  of  students  who 
would  avail  themselves  of  these  or  of  similar  means  of  pro¬ 
viding  for  their  own  support,  deserve  special  consideration, 
and  everything  should  be  done,  that  can  be  done  consistently 
with  other  interests,  to  meet  their  case.  But  any  arrangement 


47 


that  would  fully  accord  with  the  wishes  of  this  class,  would 
be  very  unsatisfactory  to  others.  The  arrangement  of  terms 
and  vacations  suggested  by  the  Committee,  is  to  be  regarded 
as  a  compromise  of  conflicting  demands,  and  will,  it  is  hoped, 
secure  the  greatest  benefit  to  the  largest  number. 

The  subject  of  providing  study  rooms  and  boarding  balls 
also  demands  notice.  The  Trustees  will  probably  determine, 
without  a  dissenting  voice,  to  make  no  provision  of  the  kind. 
It  will  certainly  simplify  the  whole  management  and  govern¬ 
ment  of  the  institution.  The  character  of  the  community  of 
Rochester  justifies  the  belief  that  the  experiment  of  boarding 
students  in  families  may  be  made  with  safety  and  without 
difficulty.  All  that  will  be  necessary  is,  that  the  parents  or 
guardians  of  the  young  men  should  take  proper  care  in  select¬ 
ing  places  for  them.  The  Trustees  and  Officers  of  the  Uni¬ 
versity  may,  also,  properly  exercise  some  supervision  over 
each  case,  and  cause  to  be  applied  the  moral  restraints  that 
may  from  time  to  time  be  necessary.  With  these  precautions, 
the  intimacy  of  the  young  men  in  families  is  calculated  to 
throw  safeguards  about  the  morals,  to  enlarge  the  general 
tone  of  thought,  and  to  exercise  a  refining  effect  upon  the 
manners.  The  silent  influence  of  the  social  virtues  is  an 
important  element  in  the  formation  of  character.  These  are 
influences  which  students,  at  their  impressible  period  of  life, 
peculiarly  need,  and  which  are  not  found  in  the  habits  that 
prevail  in  Halls  and  Commons. 

It  will  be  expected,  as  a  matter  of  course,  that  the  students 
shall  attend  public  worship  on  the  Sabbath.  The  parent  or 
guardian  will  designate  the  church  which  he  wishes  that  the 
young  man  should  attend.  And  at  the  daily  prayers  in  the 
Chapel  of  the  University,  all  the  students  will  be  required  to 
attend,  except  in  cases  where  they  may  be  especially  excused. 

The  sketch  of  an  organization  of  the  Faculty,  in  order  to 
carry  out  the  plan  of  instruction  proposed,  is  herewith  sub- 


48 


mitted.  It  will  not  be  necessary,  at  the  commencement  of 
operations,  to  appoint  the  whole  corps  of  Professors,  lecturers, 
and  teachers  that  will  be  required  hereafter.  And  it  will  be 
for  the  Trustees,  when  the  occasion  shall  arise  demanding 
an  increase  of  force,  to  consider  the  expediency  of  employing 
to  some  extent  Assistants  to  the  Professors.  The  following, 
organization  is  suggested,  as  being  necessary  at  the  commence¬ 
ment  of  operations.  Several  of  the  branches  enumerated  in 
the  Plan  as  sketched  will  still  remain  unprovided  for.  It 
will,  perhaps,  be  found  necessary  at  a  future  day  to  engage 
the  services  of  a  Professor  to  take  charge  of  the  department 
of  Mechanical  Philosophy  and  the  practical  applications  of 
Mathematical  Science.  The  instruction  contemplated  in  the 
principles  of  Law  will  doubtless  be  communicated  by  lecture, 
and  the  services  of  some  gentleman  of  high  standing  in  the 
Profession  secured  for  this  purpose.  It  is  recommended  that 
the  officers  and  teachers  named  be  appointed  at  the  present 
time,  with  the  exception  of  the  teachers  of  the  French  and 
German  Languages,  and  of  Drawing.  With  respect  to  in¬ 
struction  in  these  branches,  it  is  proposed  that  teachers  be 
engaged  as  they  may  be  needed,  and  receive  a  compensation 
proportioned  to  the  service  rendered  ;  except  where  it  may  be 
practicable  to  provide  for  the  instruction  by  assigning  the 
branch  to  one  of  the  Professors. 

LIST  OF  OFFICERS  AND  TEACHERS. 

President,  who  shall  be  the  Professor  of  Mental,  Moral,  and  Political 
Science. 

Professor  of  the  Greek  Language  and  Literature. 

Professor  of  the  Latin  Language  and  Literature. 

Professor  of  History  and  Belles  Lettres. 

Professor  of  Mathematics  and  Natural  Philosophy. 

Professor  of  Natural  Sciences. 

Teachers  of  French,  German,  and  Drawing. 

The  recommendations  embraced  in  this  Report  are  embodied 
in  the  annexed  Rules  and  Resolutions,  which  are  respectfully 


49 


presented  to  the  Board  of  Trustees,  for  them  to  dispose  of  as 
they  may  deem  best. 

In  concluding  their  Report,  the  Committee  beg  leave  to  say, 
that  they  do  not  claim  for  the  scheme  herein  contained  any 
particular  merit  on  the  score  of  originality.  Some  of  the  more 
important  features,  and  particularly  the  introduction  of  elect¬ 
ive  branches  at  the  end  of  the  Sophomore  year,  have  been 
suggested  and  tried  partially  elsewhere.  They  hope  that  the 
plan,  if  it  should  be  put  into  execution,  will  be  found  in  prac¬ 
tice  one  of  great  general  usefulness,  opening  the  way  to  a 
varied  and  numerous  class  of  students,  and  inducing  them  to 
enter  upon  a  thorough  course  of  instruction.  They  regard  it  as 
securing  a  sound,  liberal,  and  scholarlike  education,  teaching 
thoroughly  the  principles  of  the  various  branches  of  knowledge 
introduced,  and  furnishing  at  the  same  time  a  £od  prepara¬ 
tion  for  practical  life.  They  know  that  it  will  not  embrace 
the  knowledge  that  may  be  demanded  as  a  specific  preparation 
for  many  branches  of  manufacture  and  the  arts,  and  that  it 
will  not  make  men  skilful  artisans.  Specific,  widely  diversi¬ 
fied  preparation  of  this  kind  for  industrial  life,  if  it  is  to  be 
provided,  must  be  supplied  by  schools  of  a  different  character, 
to  be  organized  upon  the  model  of  the  Polytechnic  Schools 
which  are  maintained  in  France  and  other  countries  of  Europe, 
that  are  designed  for  this  particular  object,  and  educate  to 
some  extent  the  hand  as  well  as  the  mind. 

It  is  impossible  to  combine  all  the  means  of  education, 
theoretical  and  practical,  scientific  and  literary,  for  which  a 
demand  may  arise,  in  any  one  organization.  Instruction  in 
special  sciences,  of  a  very  complete  character  and  great  extent, 
may  be  demanded ;  and  it  is  exceedingly  desirable  that  it 
should  be  furnished  to  those  who  seek  it.  But  it  can  be  given 
only  in  scientific  schools,  similar  to  the  Lawrence  School, 
recently  established  in  connection  with  Harvard  University, 
4 


50 


but  entirely  separate  and  distinct  from  the  undergraduate 
course.  Foundations  of  this  character  can  have  no  place  in 
a  College  plan.  They  must  be  complete  and  independent 
organizations,  whether  existing  under  a  government  of  their 
own,  or  under  the  general  powers  of  a  University.  Nothing 
less  than  a  most  extensive  and  immensely  costly  University 
scheme  could  embrace  a  constellation  of  such  schools.  There 
are  two,  or  at  most  three,  departments  organized  in  the  Law¬ 
rence  Scientific  School,  and  the  principal  of  these,  the  course 
in  Chemistry,  fully  carried  out,  will  occupy  the  entire  time 
of  the  student  for  three  years.  It  is  obvious  that  instruction  of 
this  character  is  special  in  every  sense,  and  demands  special 
adaptations. 

The  undersigned  believe  the  plan  proposed,  although  an 

enlargement  of  the  usual  boundaries  of  College  education,  to 

be  sufficiently  guarded  to  prevent  abuse.  In  presenting  it, 

they  have  found  it  necessary  to  allude  to  other  methods,  and 

to  express  freely  their  opinions  upon  the  subject  of  College 

education  generally.  They  would  solicit  for  this  experiment, 

in  case  the  plan  should  be  adopted,  the  good  wishes  and 

indulgence  of  those  who  may  not  accord  fully  with  the  views 

presented.  They  are  themselves  disposed  to  regard  with  the 

same  good  wishes  any  other  experiments  that  may  be  made 

by  judicious  and  experienced  men,  the  object  of  which  shall 

be  to  enlarge  the  sphere  and  increase  the  influence  of  College 

education;  and  to  hail  with  sincere  pleasure  the  success  of 

any  method,  however  it  may  differ  from  their  opinions,  that 

shall  safely  accomplish  this  great  object. 

ROBERT  KELLY,  \ 

WILLIAM  R.  WILLIAMS,  J 
F.  WHITTLESEY,  f 

C.  DEWEY,  V  Committee. 

T.  J.  CONANT,  ( 

A.  C.  KENDRICK,  \ 

J.  H.  RAYMOND,  J 

Rochester ,  September  1 6th,  1850. 


